Wake Forest has reached the NCAA tournament 22 times and the Wake's two biggest rivals happen to be two of the most renowned programs in the country. Given these circumstances, the Demon Deacons have had more than their share of historic triumphs and memorable victories.
Here we analyze both of these. Below is a roundtable discussion about the best game in program's long history and reminisce about the best game we attended.
Best Game of All-Time:
Bart: 1995 ACC Championship - "The Game" is the best game in Wake history and I'm not sure it's that close.
Robert: I agree that "The Crossover" is probably the best/most important/iconic win in school history.
Jake: Just to stray a bit from the norm of the Chill game I vote for the triple OT win in Chapel Hill. The Deacs were ranked 14th and knocked off the 3rd ranked Heels on the road that included Felton, McCants and May. While it wasn't it post-season, with regards to quality of play and drama this one takes the cake for me.
Fun Roy Williams quote after the game: "I don't think I've been involved in a triple overtime game as a head coach," Williams said. "I'll remember this one for the rest of my life. The quality of the play at times was really amazing -- shots they made and shots we made."
Griffin: While "The Game" and Randolph Childress's demon-esque performance is getting its due diligence, I'm going to go back in the history books and say the 1962 East Regional Semifinal against St. Joes. Star guard Billy Packer hit two long jumpers in the final 25 seconds- the latter at the buzzer- to tie the game. The Deacs went on to win the game 96-85. Without this remarkable comeback, Wake does not have its only Final Four in school history. And don't forget, Wake defeated UCLA in the third place game- which looks more impressive considering the Bruins won 10 of the next 13 NCAA championships.
Best Game We Attended:
Bart: Best game I've been to is the 95-82 Wake game win over UNC in 2005. Joel was absolutely rocking and it was two top five teams. A close second is the Wake-UNC game in 2009 which I maintain is one of the best games Wake has ever played.
Rob: Best basketball game I've ever been to was my freshman year on January 11, 2009 when #4 Wake Forest beat #3 North Carolina (eventual national champs) 92-89. It was the first ACC game I had ever been to and Jeff Teague put on a sensational performance. He finished with 34 points on just 17 field goal attempts, while going 13-15 from the line, dishing out 4 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds in front of a capacity crowd. It was one of my fondest memories from college and is a performance I will never forget.
Jake: My favorite game in attendance was the win over #2 Duke in 2008, the season after Skip passed. The Deacs had an emotional up and down year, but it all came together that night in the Joel. Freshman James Johnson had 24 and 16 and it was the start of the Deacs rise again over the next few seasons.
Griffin: Hands down the win over Duke last year. With Duke as the opponent, the raucous student section showed up to give Bzdelik a proper sendoff. In the end, he gave us a proper sendoff. Kudos, Jeff!
We look forward to hearing your opinion on the best games in Wake history and your memories watching the Deacs in the comments section below!