By LARRY VAUGHT
larry@amnews.com

NEW ORLEANS — Wake Forest has seven wins against RPI top 50 teams, but only went 9-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play that resulted in the Demon Deacons only earning a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s the lowest seed Wake Forest has ever had in 22 NCAA appearances. However, the Deacons rallied in overtime to beat Texas 81-80 here Thursday night to get a chance to play No. 2 Kentucky Saturday in the NCAA East Region second round.

“We know Kentucky has a great team, but we’ll be ready to play,” said senior guard Ish Smith, who hit the game-winning shot against Texas with less than two seconds to play.

The Demon Deacons (20-10) twice blew double-digit leads in regulation, but in overtime they rallied from a 76-68 deficit.

Wake Forest had non-conference wins over Gonzaga, Xavier and Richmond — all NCAA tourney teams — and seemed a lock to be in the NCAA tourney before a four-game losing streak late in the season put its status in jeopardy.

Smith, who also hit game-winning shots against Xavier and Maryland, and sophomore Al-Faroug Aminu, an All-American pick, are the team’s stars.

Smith started as a freshman and sophomore before losing his spot last year to Jeff Teague, a first-round NBA draft pick, after breaking his foot in the preseason. He has over 600 career assists and averages 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while also leading the team in steals. However, he’s only a 21 percent shooter from 3-point range and hits only 50 percent at the foul line.

He had 19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and eight turnovers Thursday.

L.D. Williams is the backcourt defensive stopper and solid rebounder who averages 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He’s also struggled with 3-point shooting.

Freshman C.J. Harris (10.0 points, 1.2 assists per game) has been in the starting lineup as the third guard in a smaller lineup, but his shooting also tailed off late in the season. Reserve Gary Clark is a 42 percent shooter from 3-point range. The two have combined to make 73 3-pointers.

Aminu, a second-team All-ACC selection, is the Deacons’ leading scorer (15.7 points per game) and the league’s top rebounder (10.8 per game). He’s at his best when he’s banging on the boards or anchored on the low post and led the ACC with 18 double-doubles. He got his 19th double-double Thursday with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

“I know Kentucky is big and strong inside and (DeMarcus) Cousins is a warrior in there along with (Patrick) Patterson,” Aminu, who has a team-high 44 blocked shots, said. “We’ll just have to find a way to match what they do.”

Aminu is also third on the team in steals, assists and 3-point goals.

Chas McFarland, a 7-0 center, is in his third year as a starter but has been in frequent foul trouble. Sophomore Tony Woods is a more athletic, offensive-minded big man. David Weaver, a 6-11 senior, is another banger who gives Wake five extra fouls to play with inside.

Ari Stewart , a 6-7 freshman, provides coach Dino Gaudio with the flexibility of playing a bigger lineup while adding an outside shooting threat. Stewart averages 7.4 points and has made nearly 40 percent of his 3-point attempts.

The Deacons average 14.6 offensive rebounds per game and have outscored opponents in the paint by 10 points per game.

The Deacons play their best when Smith can break down defenses and gets the ball to Aminu. Wake Forest was second in the ACC in rebounding and third in field goal percentage defense (38.3). However, when Smith can’t get inside, Wake has struggled to make consistent outside jump shots.

“Well, we’ve got to make perimeter jump shots. We’ve got to kick out and make perimeter jump shots,” coach Gaudio said. “That’s no secret.

“Kentucky is a great team, one of the best in the country. We don’t have a lot of time to get ready, but we’ll do the best we can. We got a great win over Texas and now we have to go play an even better team.”

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