2023 Wake Forest Basketball Preview from ACC Tipoff

Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

2023 Record: 19-14 (10-10) 8th in the ACC, missed the NCAA Tournament

Key Losses: G Tyree Appleby (18.8 pts, 6.4 ast), G Daivien Williamson (8.7 pts, 0.7 ast), F Bobi Klintman (5.3 pts, 4.5 reb)

Key Returnees: F Damari Monsanto (13.3 pts, 3.6 reb), G Cameron Hildreth (12.4 pts, 5.3 reb), F Andrew Carr (10.7 pts, 6.0 reb), F Matthew Marsh (6.1 pts, 4.2 reb)

Key Transfer Additions: G Kevin Miller (18.5 pts, 5.3 ast), G Hunter Sallis (4.5 pts, 1.4 ast), F Efton Reid II (2.1 pts, 1.0 reb)

Key High School Additions: G Parker Friedrichsen

Outlook: The Demon Deacons have made a run at the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons and have fallen just short,  but there is hope that this could be the year. Losing Tyree Appleby and the talent youngster Bobi Klintman hurts, but the team does still have a veteran corps that is returning from last year led by Damari Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth on the perimeter and Andrew Carr and Matthew Marsh down low. Kevin Miller (Central Michigan) is an under-the-radar addition for the team, while Hunter Sallis (Gonzaga) and Efton Reid II (Gonzaga) are big names that just didn’t pan out in Seattle last year. This team will probably feel a lot like the team from the past two years in terms of being on the bubble for most of conference season, but they may have the depth to finally get themselves some important wins to get into the field.

Quotes from Wes & Walker:

Steve Forbes- “Ultimately, yes, you want to play in the tournament. That’s what your fans want, that’s what we want. It’s very disappointing, I’ll be honest, that we can go 13-5 and not get in the tournament. That’s wrong. Last year, we won 11 league games and didn’t make the NI T.  I don’t understand the metrics of that, but I’m not making those decisions. I think we got to try to not only win games, but win the right games.”