Wake Forest vs. UMBC Game Thread (Time, Odds, and Online Streaming)

The college basketball season is officially back. The Deacs will be short-handed tonight, as they will be without Codi Miller-McIntyre, Cornelius Hudson, and Rondale Watson. This is the same scenario the Demon Deacons faced in last week's exhibition against UNC Pembroke.

Time: 8:00 p.m.

Channel: ESPN3

Ken Pom Prediction: 81-61 (96% chance to win)

What am I looking for tonight? I'm looking to see if Devin Thomas continues to be aggressive on the interior. He was fantastic last week, and I believe he'll do more of the same tonight. I'm also looking to see Bryant Crawford play at a more controlled pace, and not force things.

I believe John Collins will have a strong impact coming off of the bench, and I hope to see Greg McClinton continue to crash the glass and create second chance points for the Deacs.

Our defense should be much better this year, so on top of everything else, I'm looking to see us play pressure man-to-man defense, force turnovers, and grab defensive rebounds. The offense may be sloppier earlier on in the season, but there's no excuse for Wake to not be a very good defensive team this year.