Takeaways from Wake Forest's 76-67 loss to Virginia
Wake Forest’s perfect home record came to an end Saturday afternoon at the Joel, falling to No. 10 Virginia 76-67. The Deacs fought valiantly and nearly overcame a 19-point deficit. Here’s what we learned from the narrow defeat.
This team is resilient
Wake Forest got punched in the mouth in the first half against UVA, trailing 34-15 at one point after falling victim to a 24-3 run. At that point, the game was teetering on the edge of getting out of hand and a blowout felt like a real possibility. Instead, Wake Forest buckled down and fought back into the game, eventually cutting the lead to a single point in the second half.
Although Wake Forest couldn’t get over the hump, the comeback effort showed that this team has the poise and patience necessary to win important games down the stretch of ACC play. The only other time Wake Forest fell behind big in the first half this season was against Rutgers in mid-December. They never found their footing in that one and went on to lose by 24 points. This time was different — Steve Forbes’ group didn’t panic, retained their identity and had a legitimate chance to win the game.
READ: Virginia hands Wake Forest first home loss of season
Yesterday’s performance demonstrated the growth of this team throughout the season. Forbes said after Wake’s victory over Clemson that the team couldn’t have won that game in November or December. Similarly, I would argue that this group wouldn’t have been able to compete with this Virginia team during those months either. This team has plenty of belief in each other and they are maturing fast. They’ll need to continue that upward trend during the back half of conference play.
Damari Monsanto is taking over the Wake Forest offense
Forbes mentioned in yesterday’s press conference that Wake Forest would not have been in the game without Monsanto — the sharpshooter dropped a career-high 25 points and knocked down seven three-pointers.
That was the only thing that kept us in it,” Forbes said. “Damari made some big-time shots. He did in the second half. He’s playing at a pretty high level right now.”
With an average of 17.5 points per game in the month of January, Monsanto’s growth from where he was at the beginning of the season has become quite evident.
Another key statistic from Monsanto’s career day against Virginia — his 34 minutes are the most he’s played this season. Monsanto’s three-point threat takes Wake Forest’s offense to another level, and it’s becoming clear that the Deacs need him at his best to win big games.
Tyree Appleby might be playing too many minutes
There is no doubt that Appleby is the most important player for the Deacs — he’s the primary ball handler and leads the team in both scoring and assists per game.
But, at the end of the Virginia game, he missed some key sitting layups and looked a little fatigued.
Ever since Wake’s loss to Rutgers, Appleby has played 38 or more minutes in every game, including a full 40 in both of the Deacs’ matchups this past week.
READ: Virginia defeats Wake Forest 76-67
In critical moments down the stretch — like the period when the Deacs trailed by one against Virginia — Wake Forest needs Appleby at 100%. If that means finding a low-leverage minute or two to sit him before a media timeout, that might be a step the coaching staff has to take, which is easier said than done with the season-ending injury to Jao Ituka.
The Deacs have a gauntlet of an ACC schedule remaining to play, and like Monsanto, the team needs Appleby to play at an All-ACC level if they want to continue competing for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Follow @DeaconsDaily on Twitter and Instagram for more Wake Forest content
