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After finishing 2-1 in the Myrtle Beach Invitational and then breaking for Thanksgiving, the Deacs return to action Friday at 2 in the LJVM Coliseum against the Houston Baptist Huskies.
The BSD staff give their predictions below.
Riley
Wake Forest 85-Houston Baptist 62
Following a successful 2-1 stint in Myrtle Beach, the Deacs get a bit of a break with games against Houston Baptist and Western Carolina. The game should never be in question against HBU, so hopefully we see improvements from Olivier Sarr and Chaundee Brown from the first few games. I expect the Deacs to work on getting the ball inside to Jaylen Hoard and Sarr against an undermanned HBU team.
Elijah
Wake Forest 83-Houston Baptist 67
After a successful trip to Myrtle Beach, the Deacs get a break by facing Houston Baptist. Considering height and athleticism are the hardest attributes to recruit as a smaller school, this has potential for big numbers. Look for Sarr to get on track with a double digit effort while Hoard eclipses 20 points.
Andrew
Wake Forest 79-Houston Baptist 53
I don’t see the Huskies gaining any sort of momentum in this one. They have a severe lack of rebounding on top of a one-man wrecking crew in Ian DuBose. That’s why I see the Deacons being able to crash the boards at a consistent rate, giving more opportunities to score and trigger fastbreak chances. Having a lack of a second scorer will be a demoralizing factor as the Deacons defense will be primarily focused on stopping DuBose in his tracks. Having been blown out by 37 in their last game, I see that trend continuing for them as their season gets underway.
Adam
Wake Forest 88-Houston Baptist 65
HBU is 298 in Kenpom and the Deacs are coming off a couple of wins in the Myrtle Beach tournament. This one shouldn’t be close.
Samurai
Wake Forest 80-Houston Baptist 63
Edward
Wake Forest 84-Houston Baptist 67
The Deacs just finished 2-1 in Conway, and fought back after a tough loss in the first game. Look for Chaundee Brown and Olivier Sarr to bounce back from some rough games, and this team to start clicking on all cylinders. Deacs win this one handily against a Houston Baptist team that is 298th in KenPom.
How do you all think the Deacs will do? Comment below.