Wake Forest’s 2026-27 nonconference schedule is finally here, and the shape of it tells you plenty about what this season is supposed to be: a reset, a chance to stack wins, and a few real swings at something bigger before ACC play starts.
The Demon Deacons are coming off an 18-17 season that left them 13th in the ACC, and they’ll try to answer that with an expanded NCAA Tournament now in place and an almost completely new roster. Tuesday’s schedule release gave a clearer picture of the path ahead, and while the slate may not pack the same punch as last year’s, it still includes a couple of games that could matter a lot.
Wake will play eight nonconference games at home, two on the road and four at neutral sites. The opener comes November 2 against Maryland-Eastern Shore at the Joel, and the Battle 4 Atlantis will unfold in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving. The SEC/ACC Challenge matchup with LSU is set for December 1 in Baton Rouge.
The first place to circle is Nashville. Wake heads there on November 5 for its second game of the season against Vanderbilt, and that one carries plenty of weight after last year’s meeting in Winston-Salem turned ugly fast, with the Commodores rolling 98-67 at the Joel.
This time the Deacs get the road shot, and it comes against a Vanderbilt team that surged last season, finishing 27-9 and winning a game in the NCAA Tournament. It’s a tough ask, but it’s the kind of game Wake has to at least be in the fight for.
The other big road chance comes in Baton Rouge against LSU in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Wake’s last challenge game ended in an 86-68 home loss to Oklahoma, so this is another spot where the Deacs can try to swing momentum early.
LSU has not been a steady force in the SEC in recent years, but the Tigers have added Will Wade as head coach along with an influx of international talent. That makes them a dangerous opponent, even if Wake gets them early.
Those two games also stand out because they can help repair some of the damage from last season’s close calls. Wake lost by a point to both national champion Michigan and tournament team Texas Tech a year ago, and getting one of these road wins would carry real value.
Both should land as Quad 1 or Quad 2 opportunities, with Vanderbilt nearly certain to be Quad 1. A loss in either spot would not be a season-breaker, but a win would mean a lot.
At home, the schedule is lighter on headline names, and that seems intentional with so many new faces needing time to settle in. The goal is pretty clear: protect the Joel, avoid the bad losses, and build some early confidence before the conference grind begins. Wake should be aiming to go 8-0 at home.
The home list is mostly made up of teams that finished in the 200s in KenPom last season. Maryland-Eastern Shore and Gardner Webb sit at the bottom of the group, coming in at 350th and 361st, both among the lowest-ranked teams in college basketball. Monmouth is the best of the bunch on paper, finishing 181st.
None of that makes for a flashy home slate, but it does create a straightforward challenge for a team trying to find itself. Wake has opportunities to win, opportunities to build its rating, and a couple of road tests that could give the season a different look if the Deacs can pull one off.