2024–25 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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The 2024–25 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Demon Deacons, led by fifth-year head coach Steve Forbes, played their home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- Steve Forbes (5th season)
- BJ McKie
- Matt Woodley
- Jason Shay
- Antanas Kavaliauskas
| 2024–25 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Record | 21–11 (13–7 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | LJVM Coliseum |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Duke † | 19 | – | 1 | .950 | 35 | – | 4 | .897 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 Louisville | 18 | – | 2 | .900 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Clemson | 18 | – | 2 | .900 | 27 | – | 7 | .794 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Carolina | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 23 | – | 14 | .622 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 11 | – | 9 | .550 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | 17 | – | 17 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notre Dame | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 15 | – | 18 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 7 | – | 13 | .350 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 5 | – | 15 | .250 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 4 | – | 16 | .200 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 3 | – | 17 | .150 | 7 | – | 24 | .226 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 ACC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Demon Deacons won their first four games of the season, the highlight of which, was a 72–70 victory over Michigan at a neutral site. Their first loss came in the Skip Prosser Classic against Xavier, 75–60. They won two games before traveling to Florida to participate in the ESPN Events Invitational. The team lost to eighteenth ranked Florida in the semifinals before defeating Minnesota to finish in third place. They then traveled to College Station to face twenty-second ranked Texas A&M in the ACC–SEC Challenge, where they lost 57–44. The Demon Deacons won eight of their next nine games, with the only loss coming at twenty-fifth ranked Clemson. The run also included seven ACC wins, with a rivalry victory over NC State and another rivalry defeat of North Carolina. The streak ended with back-to-back losses against ranked teams: second-ranked Duke and twenty-first ranked Louisville. They won their next three games, including a two-point victory over Pittsburgh and two victories on a trip to California. They lost 72–70 against Florida State on their return to the east coast. The Demon Deacons went 3–3 in their final six games with defeats of SMU, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech. Their defeats over the stretch included a rivalry loss to NC State, a loss to Virginia, and another loss against second-ranked Duke.
The Demon Deacons finished the season 21–11 and 13–7 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. Wake Forest finished atop the tiebreaking procedure and was the fourth seed in the 2025 ACC tournament. As the fourth seed, they earned a bye into the quarterfinals where they lost to rivals North Carolina 68–59. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament and declined an invitation to the NIT.[1]
Previous season
The Demon Deacons finished the season 21–14 overall and 11–9 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. After winning both tiebreakers, they were awarded the fifth seed in the ACC tournament. They received a bye into the second round where they defeated twelfth seed Notre Dame, avenging a loss from the regular season. They lost to fourth seed Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament and were a first seed. They defeated Appalachian State in the first round before losing to fourth-seed Georgia in the second round to end their season.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Miller | 0 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Chicago, Illinois | Transferred to SMU[2] | |
| Abramo Canka | 10 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Genoa, Italy | Transferred to Stetson[3] |
| Andrew Carr | 11 | F | 6'11" | 230 | Senior | West Chester, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Kentucky[4] |
| Aaron Clark | 13 | G | 6'6" | 195 | Freshman | Easton, Pennsylvania | Transferred to Pepperdine[5] |
| Zach Keller | 25 | F | 6'10" | 228 | Sophomore | Highlands Ranch, Colorado | Transferred to Utah[6] |
| Damari Monsanto | 30 | G | 6'6" | 225 | Pembroke Pines, Florida | Graduated | |
| Jao Ituka | 31 | G | 6'1" | 196 | Junior | Gaithersburg, Maryland | Transferred to Jacksonville State[7] |
| Matthew Marsh | 33 | C | 7'1" | 240 | Junior | Cornwall, England | Transferred to Oregon State[8] |
Incoming transfers
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha Biliew | 0 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Sophomore | Denison, Iowa | Iowa State[9] |
| Davin Cosby | 1 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Sophomore | Richmond, Virginia | Alabama[10] |
| Ty-Laur Johnson | 8 | G | 6'0" | 160 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, New York | Louisville[11] |
| Tre'Von Spillers | 25 | F | 6'7" | 205 | Senior | Charleston, South Carolina | Appalachian State[12] |
| Churchill Abass | 55 | C/F | 6'9" | 250 | Sophomore | Edo State, Nigeria | DePaul[13] |
2024 recruiting class
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juke Harris #23 SG |
Salisbury, NC | Salisbury High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 24, 2023 | |
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: | ||||||
| Mason Hagedorn PF |
Huntington, WV | Huntington Prep | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||
| Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
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Schedule and results
Source:[14]
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 18, 2024* 8:00 p.m., YouTube |
vs. No. 2 Alabama | L 77–98 | — |
16 – Sallis | 6 – Spillers | 4 – Tied | Boutwell Memorial Auditorium (2,068) Birmingham, AL | ||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 8:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ |
Coppin State | W 64–49 | 1–0 |
15 – Hildreth | 9 – Spillers | 5 – Sallis | LJVM Coliseum (8,956) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| November 7, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ |
North Carolina A&T | W 80–64 | 2–0 |
15 – Spillers | 16 – Spillers | 3 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (8,829) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| November 10, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
vs. Michigan Deacon-Wolverine Challenge |
W 72–70 | 3–0 |
18 – Sallis | 10 – Reid | 7 – Hildreth | Greensboro Coliseum (8,905) Greensboro, NC | ||||
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ |
USC Upstate | W 85–80 | 4–0 |
23 – Sallis | 8 – Reid | 6 – Sallis | LJVM Coliseum (8,482) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| November 16, 2024* 12:00 p.m., FS1 |
at Xavier Skip Prosser Classic |
L 60–75 | 4–1 |
16 – Sallis | 9 – Spillers | 5 – Sallis | Cintas Center (10,455) Cincinnati, OH | ||||
| November 19, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
Western Carolina | W 82–69 | 5–1 |
20 – Sallis | 5 – Spillers | 6 – Hildreth | LJVM Coliseum (8,468) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| November 23, 2024* 4:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ |
Detroit Mercy | W 67–57 | 6–1 |
31 – Sallis | 9 – Spillers | 4 – Sallis | LJVM Coliseum (8,705) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| November 28, 2024* 2:30 p.m., ESPNU |
vs. No. 18 Florida ESPN Events Invitational semifinals |
L 58–75 | 6–2 |
15 – Tied | 13 – Spillers | 3 – Tied | State Farm Field House (3,191) Kissimmee, FL | ||||
| November 29, 2024* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
vs. Minnesota ESPN Events Invitational consolation game |
W 57–51 | 7–2 |
18 – Spillers | 16 – Spillers | 4 – Johnson | State Farm Field House Kissimmee, FL | ||||
| December 3, 2024* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at No. 22 Texas A&M ACC–SEC Challenge |
L 44–57 | 7–3 |
19 – Sallis | 11 – Reid III | 6 – Hildreth | Reed Arena (8,833) College Station, TX | ||||
| December 7, 2024 12:00 p.m., ACCN |
Boston College | W 72–66 | 8–3 (1–0) |
22 – Hildreth | 10 – Hildreth | 4 – Johnson | LJVM Coliseum (10,254) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| December 17, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ |
James Madison | W 75–58 | 9–3 |
27 – Sallis | 12 – Sallis | 5 – Sallis | LJVM Coliseum (7,463) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| December 21, 2024 2:30 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 25 Clemson | L 62–73 | 9–4 (1–1) |
26 – Sallis | 8 – Reid | 2 – Sallis | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,889) Clemson, SC | ||||
| December 31, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at Syracuse | W 81–71 | 10–4 (2–1) |
23 – Sallis | 10 – Spillers | 4 – Sallis | JMA Wireless Dome (14,437) Syracuse, NY | ||||
| January 4, 2025 12:00 p.m., The CW |
NC State Rivalry |
W 77–59 | 11–4 (3–1) |
20 – Sallis | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (9,633) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| January 11, 2025 5:15 p.m., The CW |
at Miami (FL) | W 88–78 | 12–4 (4–1) |
31 – Hildreth | 5 – Tied | 6 – Johnson | Watsco Center (6,420) Coral Gables, FL | ||||
| January 15, 2025 6:30 p.m., ESPNews |
Stanford | W 80–67 | 13–4 (5–1) |
30 – Sallis | 10 – Spillers | 3 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (9,685) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| January 18, 2025 2:00 p.m., ACCN |
at Virginia Tech | W 72–63 | 14–4 (6–1) |
24 – Sallis | 7 – Tied | 3 – Johnson | Cassell Coliseum (8,925) Blacksburg, VA | ||||
| January 21, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN |
North Carolina Rivalry |
W 67–66 | 15–4 (7–1) |
20 – Hildreth | 9 – Tied | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (12,799) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| January 25, 2025 4:30 p.m., ESPN |
No. 2 Duke | L 56–63 | 15–5 (7–2) |
14 – Harris | 7 – Sallis | 8 – Johnson | LJVM Coliseum (13,169) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| January 28, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
at No. 21 Louisville | L 59–72 | 15–6 (7–3) |
13 – Sallis | 13 – Reid | 3 – Spillers | KFC Yum! Center (14,533) Louisville, KY | ||||
| February 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
Pittsburgh | W 76–74 | 16–6 (8–3) |
24 – Hildreth | 6 – Reid | 5 – Johnson | LJVM Coliseum (10,787) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| February 5, 2025 11:00 p.m., ESPNU |
at Stanford | W 79–73 | 17–6 (9–3) |
22 – Hildreth | 7 – Sallis | 5 – Sallis | Maples Pavilion (2,774) Stanford, CA | ||||
| February 8, 2025 5:00 p.m., ACCN |
at California | W 76–66 | 18–6 (10–3) |
23 – Hildreth | 8 – Sallis | 6 – Johnson | Haas Pavilion (4,562) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| February 12, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Florida State | L 70–72 | 18–7 (10–4) |
22 – Hildreth | 10 – Reid | 4 – Spillers | LJVM Coliseum (8,356) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| February 15, 2025 6:00 p.m., ACCN |
at SMU | W 77–66 | 19–7 (11–4) |
20 – Sallis | 11 – Spillers | 6 – Sallis | Moody Coliseum (6,858) Dallas, TX | ||||
| February 22, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
at NC State Rivalry |
L 73–85 | 19–8 (11–5) |
16 – Hildreth | 9 – Sallis | 4 – Sallis | Lenovo Center (15,118) Raleigh, NC | ||||
| February 26, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPNU |
Virginia | L 75–83 | 19–9 (11–6) |
25 – Sallis | 10 – Reid | 3 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (7,851) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| March 1, 2025 5:30 p.m., The CW |
Notre Dame | W 74–71 | 20–9 (12–6) |
28 – Hildreth | 7 – Reid | 4 – Johnson | LJVM Coliseum (10,298) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| March 3, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN |
at No. 2 Duke | L 60–93 | 20–10 (12–7) |
14 – Tied | 11 – Spillers | 2 – Tied | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC | ||||
| March 8, 2025 12:00 p.m., The CW |
Georgia Tech | W 69–43 | 21–10 (13–7) |
14 – Hildreth | 13 – Reid | 4 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (8,994) Winston-Salem, NC | ||||
| ACC tournament | |||||||||||
| March 13, 2025 2:30 p.m., ESPN |
(4) | vs. (5) North Carolina Quarterfinals / Rivalry |
L 59–68 | 21–11 |
25 – Sallis | 10 – Reid | 2 – Tied | Spectrum Center (14,116) Charlotte, NC | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||