This matchup is a good one for Cal on paper. If the Bears were facing the Demon Deacons in the opener of the weekend, I would have zero doubt that Cal would win by at least 15 points. However, a train wreck happened last Thursday night in Durham that I doubt can easily be forgotten. My prediction for tomorrow afternoon is that Cal will struggle but prevail 72-62. It's been a rough road trip facing "Devils & Demons" over a weekend.
Fortunately, Wake Forest is experiencing a nightmare of their own. The Demon Deacons are 7-10 overall and 0-6 in the ACC. They have been playing competitive basketball but have not been able to close out games. The three ACC home losses were to Clemson (by 6), to Louisville in OT (by 5) & to Stanford (by 3). Out of the eleven home games, WF is 6-5 and has not lost a game by as much as 10 points. A victory is there for the taking but the Deacons have to find a way to get over the hump.
I watched the entire Stanford-Wake Forest game, and it was not close for three quarters. The Cardinal jumped out to a 19-9 lead after the 1st quarter and stayed in command through three quarters, leading by 16 points (58-42). Both teams play at a comfortable pace and the game became a three-point shooting contest. Both teams got hot! Stanford hit 12 (through the course of the game) to WF's 10. Both teams shot at approximately 45%. The Demon Deacons got seriously on fire in the final period. Their top scorer Elise Williams went 7-15 for 19 points (including 2 treys) on the night. Their designated three-point shooter, Raegyn Conley went off for 6-10, finishing w/ 18. The home team took control and cut Stanford's margin to four points. Conley quickly threw up another three late that hit both sides of the rim and came out. It would have made it a one-point game. Wake Forest is that close to getting a win at home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
https://godeacs.com/documents/2025/1/17/WBB_Season.pdf (scroll down to page 2)
Megan Gebbia is in her second year as head coach. She was the winniest 1st year coach (17 wins) in program history but she's not getting any breaks this year (like 2023-24). She rotates 8 players that play 18.7 to 30.4 minutes per game. The Demon Deacons only score 62.1 ppg while holding their opponents to 60.8. Cal compares favorably is virtually every statistical category. On paper, this game should be no contest. However, the outcome of this game might turn out to be the mental and emotional state of the Cal players.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - Wake Forest University Athletics
Wake Forest has players that were recruited out of high school and have stayed. Only one transfer, Tamia Jones, from SMU starts at PG and is making an impact in her initial year in the program. She plays the second most minutes (29.8) and leads the team with 53 assists & 36 steals. Jones contributes 8.1 points /4.1 rebounds. Her backcourt mate that is the offensive force on the team is Elise Williams. She is the only double-digit scorer with an 11.5 average + 4 rebounds per contest. She is the other sound ball-handler wit 49 assists vs 30 TOs. She is also 2nd in steals with 32. Williams is tied for second in three-point baskets made (18). The 3rd guard that is dangerous is Raegyn Conley, making 28-74 (37.8%) on her treys. To complement this trio, two big post players split the minutes inside. Their leading rebounder (6.0) is 6-3 Malaya Cowles. She also is the team's 2nd leading offensive threat at 9.6 ppg. She only played 5 minutes against Stanford after being poked directly in the eye. They might have won the game if they had #5 inside. I don't know her status for tomorrow. Cowles is tied for second in steals w/ 32. Her sidekick is 6-2 Demeara Hinds (#25) who grabs 5.5 boards while adding 8.6 points to the offense. Both of these posts do not shoot threes, but they do turn the ball over. The team's 3rd leading scorer is Rylie Theuerkauf with 9.2 ppg. She is tied for 2nd in treys w/18. I didn't mention her because she was quiet vs Stanford. There's also a frosh sparkplug, Aurora Sorbye, from Norway. She contributed to the comeback with a three and totaled 11 points.
In summary, Cal should dominate the boards and win the long-distance game based upon stats. If the Bears can find their offensive rhythm, they should be able to outscore Wake Forest. This game and the upcoming home game with Pitt are the two most obvious potential victories on the schedule. This is a *must-win* bounce back game for the Bears if they want to continue on their memorable journey to the NCAA Tournament.
GO BEARS!
Fortunately, Wake Forest is experiencing a nightmare of their own. The Demon Deacons are 7-10 overall and 0-6 in the ACC. They have been playing competitive basketball but have not been able to close out games. The three ACC home losses were to Clemson (by 6), to Louisville in OT (by 5) & to Stanford (by 3). Out of the eleven home games, WF is 6-5 and has not lost a game by as much as 10 points. A victory is there for the taking but the Deacons have to find a way to get over the hump.
I watched the entire Stanford-Wake Forest game, and it was not close for three quarters. The Cardinal jumped out to a 19-9 lead after the 1st quarter and stayed in command through three quarters, leading by 16 points (58-42). Both teams play at a comfortable pace and the game became a three-point shooting contest. Both teams got hot! Stanford hit 12 (through the course of the game) to WF's 10. Both teams shot at approximately 45%. The Demon Deacons got seriously on fire in the final period. Their top scorer Elise Williams went 7-15 for 19 points (including 2 treys) on the night. Their designated three-point shooter, Raegyn Conley went off for 6-10, finishing w/ 18. The home team took control and cut Stanford's margin to four points. Conley quickly threw up another three late that hit both sides of the rim and came out. It would have made it a one-point game. Wake Forest is that close to getting a win at home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
https://godeacs.com/documents/2025/1/17/WBB_Season.pdf (scroll down to page 2)
Megan Gebbia is in her second year as head coach. She was the winniest 1st year coach (17 wins) in program history but she's not getting any breaks this year (like 2023-24). She rotates 8 players that play 18.7 to 30.4 minutes per game. The Demon Deacons only score 62.1 ppg while holding their opponents to 60.8. Cal compares favorably is virtually every statistical category. On paper, this game should be no contest. However, the outcome of this game might turn out to be the mental and emotional state of the Cal players.
2024-25 Women's Basketball Roster - Wake Forest University Athletics
Wake Forest has players that were recruited out of high school and have stayed. Only one transfer, Tamia Jones, from SMU starts at PG and is making an impact in her initial year in the program. She plays the second most minutes (29.8) and leads the team with 53 assists & 36 steals. Jones contributes 8.1 points /4.1 rebounds. Her backcourt mate that is the offensive force on the team is Elise Williams. She is the only double-digit scorer with an 11.5 average + 4 rebounds per contest. She is the other sound ball-handler wit 49 assists vs 30 TOs. She is also 2nd in steals with 32. Williams is tied for second in three-point baskets made (18). The 3rd guard that is dangerous is Raegyn Conley, making 28-74 (37.8%) on her treys. To complement this trio, two big post players split the minutes inside. Their leading rebounder (6.0) is 6-3 Malaya Cowles. She also is the team's 2nd leading offensive threat at 9.6 ppg. She only played 5 minutes against Stanford after being poked directly in the eye. They might have won the game if they had #5 inside. I don't know her status for tomorrow. Cowles is tied for second in steals w/ 32. Her sidekick is 6-2 Demeara Hinds (#25) who grabs 5.5 boards while adding 8.6 points to the offense. Both of these posts do not shoot threes, but they do turn the ball over. The team's 3rd leading scorer is Rylie Theuerkauf with 9.2 ppg. She is tied for 2nd in treys w/18. I didn't mention her because she was quiet vs Stanford. There's also a frosh sparkplug, Aurora Sorbye, from Norway. She contributed to the comeback with a three and totaled 11 points.
In summary, Cal should dominate the boards and win the long-distance game based upon stats. If the Bears can find their offensive rhythm, they should be able to outscore Wake Forest. This game and the upcoming home game with Pitt are the two most obvious potential victories on the schedule. This is a *must-win* bounce back game for the Bears if they want to continue on their memorable journey to the NCAA Tournament.
GO BEARS!
