Wake Forest’s trip to Vanderbilt turned into another rough night, and the final score told the story: a 74-51 loss that marked the second straight season the Deacs have been blown out by the Commodores.
For a stretch, Wake at least made Vanderbilt work. With 3:27 left in the first half, Justin Ray knocked down a pair of free throws to pull the Deacs within three.
That was as close as they’d get for long. Vanderbilt answered with a 9-0 run to close the half and carried a 12-point lead into the break.
Wake kept trying to chip away, getting back within six more than once, but each time the Commodores had a response ready. Then, in the closing minutes, Vanderbilt slammed the door with an 18-4 run over the final six minutes to stretch the margin to 23.
The strange part is that Wake Forest’s defense wasn’t the disaster here. The Deacs actually held Vanderbilt to 38% shooting.
The problem was everything on the other end. Wake scored just 51 points and went 6-26 from 3-point range, which made a road upset over a Top 25 team a near-impossible ask.
The rebounding gap didn’t help either, with Wake once again getting beaten on the glass by double digits.
Kevair Kennedy was the main bright spot offensively for Wake Forest, finishing with 20 points on 7-15 shooting. Gavin Placide was the only other Deac to reach double figures, adding 10 points.
This was Wake’s first test against a tournament-caliber opponent, and the mismatch showed. Without multiple players who can create and score off the dribble, the 5-out offense never really got traction.
Too often, the possession broke down into Kennedy trying to beat his man, getting crowded by defenders, and having to reset the whole thing. Placide, who opened the game by scoring Wake’s first four points, also wasn’t featured nearly enough in the right spots.
When he did get touches, they were often out on the perimeter, forcing him to try to bully his way inside or attack off the bounce. He’s clearly the most talented player on the roster, and possessions that don’t run through him in the post feel like wasted chances.
Wake has plenty to clean up, but the schedule does give them some breathing room. The Deacs now have four buy games in a row before heading to the Battle 4 Atlantis to face Mississippi State.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Keeps Fueling A Bigger ACC Debate
Wake Forest stayed put in second place in the Week 10 ACC Football Power Rankings, a spot it has held for six straight weeks as the league picture continues to shuffle around it. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 51-7 win over Virginia, and that kind of result has kept them firmly in the conversation behind Miami, which remains the unanimous No. 1 team.
The bigger debate now is less about Wake Forest itself and more about how the rest of the ACC keeps rearranging underneath it. Louisville and Duke both moved up this week, creating more movement in the middle of the rankings, and the weekly list is still being shaped by a nine-person editorial staff weighing recent results and overall performance. Wake Forest has stayed steady, but the pressure around it keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Showed Fight But One Problem Still Looks Concerning
Wake Forest had enough fight to make things interesting against No. 24 Vanderbilt, but the result still left the Demon Deacons at 1-1 and searching for cleaner execution in the spots that tend to decide close games. Kevair Kennedy led the way with 20 points, giving Wake Forest a scoring presence it can build around, while Vanderbilt leaned on Tyler Tanners 17 points and 10 rebounds to keep control when the game tightened.
The bigger concern was the kind of slippage that can undo a solid effort: Wake Forest struggled from long range and at the line, and Vanderbilt kept extending possessions with extra chances on the offensive glass. Those second-chance opportunities added up, and for a team trying to establish itself early in the season, the margin for error was thin enough to show exactly where the next step has to come from. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Just Put Real Playoff Pressure On Its Final Stretch
Wake Forests place in the first College Football Playoff rankings has given the final stretch of the season a different kind of weight. Sitting at No. 16, the Demon Deacons have at least put themselves in the conversation, and ESPNs Mark Schlabach has them slotted in a position that would keep their postseason path alive if the committees view holds. With the playoff field still fluid and the rankings sure to shift as the season plays out, every week now carries a little more consequence than the last.
The next few games will go a long way toward deciding whether Wake Forest stays on that track or slips back into the pack. The Deacons still have Merrimack at home, plus matchups with SMU, Georgia Tech and Duke, and each one matters in a race where margin for error is shrinking. For a team that has already forced its way into the early national picture, the challenge now is turning that respect into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]