Wake Forest is looking to build some momentum - and for the first time in over a month, the Demon Deacons have a real shot at stacking two wins in a row. They’ll get that opportunity Tuesday night when they welcome SMU to Winston-Salem.
At 11-7 overall and 2-3 in ACC play, Wake Forest is coming off a gritty 69-68 road win over Florida State, a game that came down to the final seconds. And once again, it was Nate Calmese who delivered in the clutch. With six seconds on the clock, Calmese buried a mid-range jumper to put Wake in front for good - the second time this season he’s hit a game-winner in the closing moments of an ACC contest.
But it wasn’t just Calmese’s heroics that sealed the deal. Freshman Juke Harris came up big on the defensive end, forcing Florida State’s Martin Somerville into a tough, off-target look on the final possession. That stop capped off a night where Wake Forest turned defense into offense with real efficiency - the Deacs outscored the Seminoles 16-3 on possessions that started with live-ball turnovers.
Head coach Steve Forbes praised the effort on both ends of the floor.
“Nate Calmese made a big play, and then Juke Harris made a great play defensively,” Forbes said. “I thought we did a great job of turning defense into offense.”
That’s been a theme all season for Wake. Through the weekend, they ranked among the nation’s best in forcing turnovers - opponents are giving the ball away 15.6 times per game against them, tied for 16th nationally.
And they’re not just forcing mistakes, they’re capitalizing on them. Wake also ranks 19th in steals per game (9.5), with five players already reaching 20 steals on the year.
Harris, who leads the team with 20.1 points per game, is one of those defensive catalysts. His two-way play has become a cornerstone for a team that thrives on pressure and transition opportunities.
Now, they’ll try to keep that defensive identity rolling against an SMU squad that sits at 13-5 overall and 2-3 in ACC play. The Mustangs are coming off a hard-fought 72-68 home loss to then-No. 16 Virginia - a game where they took care of the ball reasonably well but got beat on the boards and gave up 12 made threes.
Ball security has been a relative strength for SMU this season, with the team averaging just 11.7 turnovers per game. But against Wake’s aggressive defense, that number will be tested.
Where SMU might have the upper hand is on the glass. The Mustangs rank fifth in the ACC in offensive rebounds (12.4 per game), and that’s an area where Wake Forest has struggled. The Demon Deacons ranked just 307th nationally in defensive rebounds per game (22.83) heading into the week.
SMU’s 7-foot-2 big man Samet Yigitoglu has been a force on the offensive boards, pulling down 3.2 per game while contributing 11.0 points. But head coach Andy Enfield is looking for more efficiency from his center, especially around the rim.
“He has to take pressure off our guards. He has to take pressure off our team,” Enfield said after Yigitoglu went just 3-for-11 from the field against Virginia.
“It’s very demoralizing when you’re missing 6-inch shots, 1-foot shots and 2-foot shots. No excuses.
He has to make more of those and finish better.”
The Mustangs are led by Boopie Miller - a familiar face to Wake Forest fans. The former Demon Deacons starter now leads SMU with 20.3 points and an ACC-best 6.8 assists per game, making him one of the most dynamic guards in the conference.
With no injuries reported for either team, Tuesday’s matchup shapes up as a battle of contrasting styles - Wake Forest’s high-pressure defense and transition game against SMU’s rebounding edge and backcourt firepower. For the Deacs, it’s a chance to finally string together some wins and start climbing the ACC ladder. For SMU, it’s an opportunity to bounce back and prove they can handle the heat on the road.