Wake Forest vs Loyola Marymount: Preview and Prediction

The Demon Deacons and the Lions square off in the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the Loyola Marymount Lions face off Sunday afternoon in Montego Bay Jamaica for the championship round of the Jersey Mike's Jamaica Classic. This is the first meeting of all time between these two opponents.

Gameday Info:

Tipoff: 2:30 p.m. ET

TV: CBSSN

Spread: Wake Forest -6

Moneyline: Wake Forest -250, Loyola Marymount +210

Over/under: 147

Wake Forest Overview:

Record: 4-0

KenPom Ranking: 75th (74th Offensive, 83rd Defensive)

The Demon Deacons caught fire in the second half against La Salle on Friday night on their way to a 75-63 win. The Deacs outscored the Explorers 40-16 in the paint in the victory. Tyree Appleby continues to play stellar basketball, scoring 23 points for the second-straight game. His season averages are up to 19.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 4.8 apg. 

Another key factor in the win was Wake's bench outscoring La Salle's 36-16. Damari Monsanto came alive for the first time this season, with 14 points (four made threes), five rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench. Freshman Zach Keller poured in a season-high 11 points and Cameron Hildreth continued to play starter-level minutes (27), adding 9 points. Andrew Carr (12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Daivien Williamson (13.5 ppg) are coming off quiet performances, but they have been significant contributors early on this season. 

Prior to coming to Montego Bay, Wake defeated upset-minded the Utah Valley Wolverines on Tuesday night, needing a buzzer-beater courtesy of Appleby to do so. 

Click the links below for our thoughts on the first four games of the season for the Deacs:

Takeaways from Wake Forest's 75-63 win over La Salle

Takeaways from Wake Forest's 68-65 win over Utah Valley

Takeaways from Wake Forest's 81-71 win over Georgia

Takeaways from Wake Forest's 71-59 win over Fairfield

Loyola Marymount Overview:

Record: 3-2

KenPom Ranking: 144th (110th Offensive, 176th Defensive)

Conference: WCC

Loyola Marymount trailed Georgetown by 10 at halftime in their opening round game in the Jamaica Classic, but after a 29-4 run, the Lions were in total control, cruising to an 82-64 victory. Loyola came in at 9th in the preseason WCC poll in Stan Johnson's third season as head coach.

Before coming to Jamaica, the Lions played UC Riverside (L 81-79), UC Davis (W 85-75) and UC Irvine (L 79-64). Loyola loves to shoot the three ball, as they attempt 29.5 per game, which is top 20 in the nation. 

The Lions are led by fifth year guard Cam Shelton (15.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.2 apg) who has stared over 100 games and scored over 1400 points in his college career. The other double-figure scorer is senior Keli Keaupepe (14.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg), an old school 6-6, 240 lb matchup nightmare who can bang down low and also step outside and shoot it (10-17 on 3PTs this season).

Junior forward Alex Merkviladze (8.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and junior guard Jalin Anderson (9.0 ppg, 4.2 apg) are key pieces of this balanced offensive attack. Other important players for the Lions are fifth-year Ohio State transfer Justin Ahrens (7.4 ppg, 40.0 3PT%), and freshman Chance Stephens (7.6 ppg, 35.3 3PT%), who are deadeye shooters with the absolute green light to let it fly. Loyola has some size in 7-1 center Rick Issanza, an Oklahoma transfer from Congo, but he only plays around 13 minutes per game.

Why Wake Forest Will Cover:

The Deacs looked totally in sync in that second half in the win over La Salle. Appleby has been playing at a very high level and he’s elevated the play of the guys around him. Wake has the versatility to guard a Loyola team that spaces the floor well. The coaching staff seems ready to give Monsanto more run off the bench as well, and his scoring pop off the bench can single-handedly change games.

Loyola is a weak unit defensively, and was lucky to get by a better Georgetown team who shot the ball abysmally in that second half (8-29 FGs). Before that game, Loyola was giving up an average of 78.3 ppg against D1 competition. I don't see any reason why the Wake Forest offense won't continue to roll on Sunday, which should be enough for the Deacs to win comfortably.

Why Loyola Marymount Will Cover:

The Lions looked awesome in that second half on Friday when they outscored the Hoyas 52-24. Any team that has so many guys who can shoot threes and aren't afraid to let a bunch of them fly is always a serious threat. Leaupepe is a matchup nightmare (think UVA’s Jayden Gardner with a three point shot) who is the best interior scorer Wake has faced in a few games. None of the teams the Demon Deacons have played so far are nearly as dangerous from three as the Lions, so Wake could struggle to guard this potent offensive attack.

Score Prediction: Wake Forest 82, Loyola Marymount 70

I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up being closer, but Wake Forest's edge on the defensive end should be the difference in this one. The coaching staff will have the Deacs prepared to guard the three-point line, and while Leaupepe is a unqiue player who can cause problems, Wake has the length to make things difficult for him on the inside. 

I think this could be a big Daivien Williamson game, and I'm expecting the momentum to carry over for Appleby and Monsanto. I'll take the Demon Deacons to cover the number and return to North Carolina with their perfect record still intact.

Prediction record

2-2 ATS

4-0 Straight up

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