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1. Which Wake Forest player do you believe has the best chance to be successful against Georgia Tech this weekend?
I'm not sure that Devin Thomas will duplicate his performance against N.C. State, and the Jackets have some size down low. I would expect Codi Miller-McIntyre to attempt to get into the lane and get the ball to a Wake shooter. Given that he can score himself, he'd be the one I'd look for.
2. Which Georgia Tech player do you think Coach Bzdelik is most concerned about for Saturday's game?
Marcus Georges-Hunt. Not so much for his scoring, but his defensive ability. The Deacon guards will have to value the ball on Saturday to win, and that means keeping Georges-Hunt in check. His size will be a factor, as well. Grabbing 10 boards against the Heels is no mean feat.
3. Four of the five ACC games that Wake Forest has competed in so far this season has been decided by less than 3 points. What do the fans feel about this- is this a concern or something to praise?
Good question. I think in general, the fans are overlooking the margin of victory and are enjoying the fact the Deacs are hanging around .500 in conference. Personally, I think that particular trend means either, a) the team is overachieving in conference play every time out and Wake has a competitive ball club, b) the team has a habit of playing up/down to the level of its opponent, or c) both
4. Unlike Georgia Tech that has quite a few strengths and quite a few weaknesses on the stat sheet compared to the national average, it seems like Wake Forest has pretty average statistics on both offense and defense. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing, and are there any aspects of the Wake game that need to "click" in order for the team to be successful?
With one senior starter and a boatload of freshmen, I think that average is good for the Deacs this year. They are improving their perimeter defense and rebounding, which have been bugaboos for quite some time. I daresay they are better than some thought they would be (my opinion). The nation saw on Tuesday night what needs to happen for success. Mike Gminski said on the broadcast that if Wake could get consistent performances from Devin Thomas and Miller-McIntyre, this is a very different Wake Forest team. With just two scorers, (C.J. Harris and Travis McKie), conference play is very difficult.
5. What is the deal with this "Tie Dye Nation" thing?
The late Skip Prosser came to town in 2001, and one of his missions was to give Wake Forest a real home court advantage. Thus, the student section, who had been wearing black 'Screamin Demons' t-shirts were issued black and gold tie-dye shirts. The team was very, very good and the tie-dye caught on with little kids and then everyone else. Additionally, Wake instituted a NBA-style introduction, complete with the Deacon mascot on a Harley and inflatables and loud music. Tie-Dye Nation is light on population these days, but winning will cure that. Our home court in the mid-2000's was an absolute terror to play in. Just ask Coach K.
6. Official prediction??
I think we'll see an ugly defensive game where Wake Forest will struggle to score. However, confidence is high and growing on campus so I say Wake wins in OT, 64-60.
Check out my answers to John's questions here.
For more info on Wake Forest Basketball click here. You can also follow John on twitter @JPMundyBSD
For more info on GT Basketball click here. Follow me on twitter @FTRSChas as I live tweet throughout the game today. Tip-Off set for 3pm at McCamish Pavilion.