In his career against Wake Forest, Michael Devoe has averaged 19.2 points and shot 61.4 percent from the floor. (photo by Danny Karnik)
After watching its offensive and defensive chemistry on film, Josh Pastner came to a realization about Wake Forest.
“It reminds me a lot of our team from last year,” Pastner said.
Much like the Jackets of 2020-21, the Demon Deacons rely on a core of veterans they’ve cultivated from the transfer portal. No player has benefitted from a change of scenery more than 6-5 guard Alondes Williams, a 6.7-point-a-game scorer at Oklahoma who currently leads the ACC in scoring and assists.
Just how unlikely has Williams’ ascent been? His single-game career high at Oklahoma was 15 points. He’s averaging 20.3 points per game this year.
Alondes Williams
- PPG: 20.3 (#1 ACC)
- APG: 4.9 (#1 ACC)
- FG%: 54.2% (#4 ACC)
In addition to his shot-making ability, Williams is a great rebounder for his size and an elite passer against zones, particularly on skips from the slot to the weak-side corner. Jake LaRavia (14.8 ppg, #2 ACC FG pct.), a 6-9 transfer from Indiana State, gives him a point-forward sidekick with a similar feel for finishing and facilitating. Together, they lead a 5-out motion offense that features plenty of curls, backdoors and false action. Post players step out and shoot threes. Perimeter players post up and back down defenders Barkley-style from the long post. Along with 6-1 senior Daivien Williamson (12.4 ppg), Wake Forest has been significantly more efficient from two-point range, leading the ACC in red zone scoring according to Hoops IQ. They don’t just get there, they finish there too: Wake ranks fifth nationally in two-point field goal percentage according to KenPom (58.3 pct.). They’re also dangerous in late shot clock situations, ranking in the 95th percentile of efficiency according to Synergy.
Georgia Tech will need to play passing lanes well and build a wall in its dribble-drive defense. Can they also find some runouts off turnovers? Wake Forest does rank last in the ACC in conference play in turnover percentage, coughing it up on 19.3 percent of possessions according to KenPom. For all his offensive gifts, Williams has turned it over 26 times over his last four games.
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Georgia Tech’s switch to a smaller lineup was offensively motivated, but it also had the collateral effect of forcing the Yellow Jackets to play more zone.
Could zone be Georgia Tech’s best weapon Wednesday? Wake Forest ranks in the 85th percentile in offensive efficiency versus man-to-man according to Synergy.
They only rank in the 40th percentile of efficiency versus zone.
Six-foot-8 stretch-four Isaiah Mucius (38.1 pct. 3pt.), who had a team-high 21 points against Tech in Winston-Salem last year, is the Demon Deacons’ most opportunistic three-point threat. His 14 three-point attempts against Syracuse are the most by an ACC player this year.
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Michael Devoe has traded the ACC scoring lead for much of the year with Williams, though the senior yielded some ground after finishing with a season-low two points against North Carolina. Time and again, Devoe found driving lanes clogged and shots contested against the Tar Heels’ 6-8 Leaky Black.
He may have found the right opponent for a rebound, though:
Michael Devoe – Career vs. Wake Forest (4 games):
- PPG: 19.2
- FG%: 61.4%
- 3pt.%: 52.4% (11 of 21)
Wake Forest and Georgia Tech were the only two places where Devoe took an official visit out of high school in Orlando, Fla.
He’ll face a Demon Deacons defense that likes to keep the ball on the outer third of the floor and “ice” ball screens, a coverage that tries to funnel plays toward the baseline. Tech will need to cut hard so the Demon Deacons can’t load the ball side.
