Virginia vs. Wake Forest Game Preview, Score Prediction

The Cavaliers look to get back on track as they travel to take on the Demon Deacons on Saturday in Winston-Salem

With a full week to prepare, Virginia will take another stab at trying to solve its road woes as the Cavaliers travel to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest on Saturday. 

Read on for a full preview of Virginia at Wake Forest, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a prediction for Saturday's matchup. 

Follow along with score updates and live analysis for Virginia at Wake Forest here: Virginia vs. Wake Forest Live Updates | NCAA Men's Basketball

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers (11-4, 2-2 ACC) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-4, 3-1 ACC)

When: Saturday, January 13th at 2pm ET

Where: LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

How to watch: ESPN2

How to stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

How to listen: SiriusXM 391, SXM App 981 | Virginia Sports Radio Network - click here for affiliates

All-time series: Wake Forest leads 71-70

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Wake Forest 76-67 on January 21st, 2023 in Winston-Salem.

Game Notes

• Wake Forest owns a slim 71-70 advantage over Virginia in the all-time series which dates back to the 1910-1911 season. 
• UVA had a nine-game winning streak in the series snapped in the 2021-2022 season, but the Cavaliers beat the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem last season. 
• Virginia has won 11 of the last 12 meetings in the series. 
• UVA has won each of the last five games against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem.
• Virginia is 11-5 against Wake Forest under Tony Bennett.

Opponent Scouting Report: Wake Forest

2022-2023: 19-14, 10-10 ACC
2023-2024: 11-4, 3-1 ACC

Wake Forest is in its fourth year under Steve Forbes, who has yet to lead the Demon Deacons to the NCAA Tournament. But if we're being honest, Forbes should have at least one tournament appearance under his belt as Wake Forest was absolutely snubbed in the 2021-2022 season, with the Deacs somehow heading to the NIT despite going 23-8 in the regular season. Last season, Wake Forest took a step back, going 19-14 overall and not participating in a postseason tournament. 

This year is off to a better start, as the Deacs are currently 11-4 overall and 3-1 in ACC play. Wake lost three of its first five games, with those three losses coming at Georgia and then against Utah and LSU at the Charleston Classic. The Deacs followed that up by winning their next nine games, including victories over Florida and Rutgers, a 23-point beatdown of Virginia Tech, and tight wins over Boston College and Miami. That winning streak was snapped on Tuesday night in Tallahassee, as Wake fell in an 87-82 shootout to Florida State. Even though they are technically coming off of a loss like the Cavaliers, the Demon Deacons have much more recent momentum than Virginia despite having identical overall records. 

Wake Forest lost most of its core contributors from a season ago as gone are Tyree Appleby, Damari Monsanto, Daivien Williamson, and others. But the Deacs still have Cameron Hildreth and Andrew Carr and replenished their roster with a few key transfer additions, including the two-headed monster of Kevin Miller and Hunter Sallis leading the way. 

Miller and Sallis are fifth and sixth in the ACC in scoring, respectively, both averaging nearly 18 points per game. Miller, a 6'0" sophomore guard and transfer from Central Michigan, is Wake's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game and is also the team's top facilitator at 4.1 assists per game. Add in the fact that Miller shoots 38.8% from three and averages 1.7 steals per game and you're looking at one of the best all-around guards in the ACC. Sallis, a transfer from Gonzaga, is right there with Miller at 17.8 points per game. He isn't quite as good from three at 35.7%, but has better size at 6'5". Rounding out the Wake backcourt is Cameron Hildreth, a 6'4" junior guard from England. Hildreth is averaging 16.9 points per game and is the team's best three-point shooter at 45.6%. 

The other main returner is 6'9" senior forward Andrew Carr, who is averaging 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blockers per game. Carr is also capable of stretching the floor as a 35.1% three-point shooter. Completing Wake's starting five is Efton Reid, a Richmond native and former UVA recruit. A 6'11" junior center, Reid started his career at LSU, transferred to Gonzaga last season, and then transferred to Wake Forest. Reid missed the first seven games of this season as he awaited a decision from the NCAA on his eligibility status. The NCAA approved his waiver in early December and he has started the last five games, averaging 8.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game since returning to the floor. Carr and Reid combine to make a formidable front court duo, averaging 16 rebounds and three blocks together. 

Coming off the bench is 6'10" sophomore forward Zach Keller, who was starting at center for Wake Forest until Efton Reid returned and eventually took his spot. Another key bench player is 6'3" freshman guard Parker Friedrichsen, a lights-out shooter off the bench shooting 42.4% from beyond the arc so far. 

What to Watch For

Three-Point Shooting

Virginia has been a decent three-point shooting team this season and excellent at defending the three (4th in the ACC), but those trends have gone out the window in UVA's four losses, as those four opponents have shot 41.3% and held Virginia to 25.4% from three in those games. Wake Forest is great at shooting the three, ranking second in the ACC at 37.8% as a team, but is second to last in defending the three. If the Cavaliers can effectively defend the three-point line and find a way to shake their road shooting struggles, that will greatly increase their chances of winning on the road for the first time this season. 

Big Men Battle

Wake Forest has three effective big men in Andrew Carr, Efton Reid, and Zach Keller. Carr is the definition of a prototypical stretch-four and both Reid and Keller have proven to be capable centers on both ends of the floor for the Demon Deacons. The play of Virginia's front court - Jake Groves, Ryan Dunn, Blake Buchanan, and (dare I say it) Jordan Minor - will be just as crucial as usual in this matchup. This group has certainly had its struggles, but if they're going to start to turn the corner, the time to show some growth is now. 

Virginia must maintain its composure if things go off script. 

It hasn't been that Virginia is simply losing these road games, it's the fact that the Cavaliers have looked utterly uncompetitive whenever they start to trail a game by a semi-significant margin. UVA gets all out of sorts on both ends of the floor and a not-so-great performance turns into an unmitigated disaster. Obviously, Virginia wants to win on Saturday, but it might be even more important for the Cavaliers to show some fight and competitiveness when things go south, even in a loss. 

Prediction

With the exception of a tight win over Florida in the first week of the season in Charlotte, Virginia hasn't played a complete game away from John Paul Jones Arena. There's still time for the Cavaliers to correct course and fix both their overarching issues playing on the road as well as their underlying problems on both ends of the floor. UVA took a step in that direction in the first half at NC State last Saturday, but unraveled in the second half. It's time for Virginia to deliver a 40-minute performance. 

Score prediction: Virginia 65, Wake Forest 63

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