March 15, 2004

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2004 NCAA Basketball Tournament / Rounds 1-2 / RBC Center (19,722) / Raleigh, NC

#17/16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-9)

Wednesday

1:00 -- VCU practice

2:00 -- VCU players' press conference

2:15 -- Jeff Capel press conference

2:30 -- Wake Forest players' press conference

2:30 -- Wake locker room open to the media

2:45 -- Skip Prosser press conference

3:10 -- Wake Forest practice (open to public)

Thursday (*approximate times)

12:20 -- Florida vs. Manhattan

*2:50 -- Wake Forest vs. VCU

7:10 -- Duke vs. Alabama State

*9:40 -- Seton Hall vs. Arizona

Friday

12:00 -- Florida/Manhattan winner practice (closed)

1:35 -- Florida/Manhattan winner press conference

2:15 -- WFU/VCU winner press conference

3:10 -- WFU/VCU winner practice (closed)

Saturday

1:10 -- Duke/ASU winner vs. Arizona/Seton Hall winner

*3:40 -- Wake/VCU winner vs. Florida/Manhattan winner

The Seed: Wake Forest is the East Rutherford Regional No. 4 seed. The Deacons, who were a No. 2 seed in the East last year, was last a No. 4 seed in 1984.

First-Round Opponent: No. 13 seed Virginia Commonwealth earned an automatic bid as champion of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Rams have won eight straight games including a 55-54 win over George Mason March 8 in the CAA title game.

Television: CBS. Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Dan Bonner (color analysis) and Tracy Wolfson (sidelines) call the action. Craig Silver is the producer.

Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action. Chris Ferris is the producer/engineer.

Radio: CBS/Westwood One. Dave Sims (play-by-play) and John Thompson (color analysis) call the action.

Record: Wake Forest is 19-9 overall after losing to Maryland, 87-86, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament last Friday in Greensboro. The Deacons finished tied for third in the ACC standings at 9-7.

Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 17th in the Associated Press poll and 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

Head Coach: Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 65-28 in three seasons with the Deacons, 230-106 in 11 seasons overall. Prosser is 2-2 in two previous NCAA Tournaments at Wake Forest, 3-7 in seven appearances overall.

SID Contact: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan will reside at the team hotel (cell: 336.287.8954).

Last Year In The Tournament

Wake Forest 76, East Tennessee State 73

Auburn 68, Wake Forest 62

Tournament History Appearances 19th All-Time Record 24-18 First Round 13-5 Regional Semifinals 5-3 Regional Finals 1-4 National Semifinals 0-1

Final Four Appearances (1): 1962

Wake Opens Tournament Thursday vs. VCU

Wake Forest makes its fourth straight and 19th overall NCAA Tournament appearance Thursday against Virginia Commonwealth in Raleigh's RBC Center (Approximately 2:50 p.m./CBS).

The 17th-ranked Demon Deacons, 19-9, have lost three straight games, including an 87-86 loss to eventual champion Maryland in Friday's ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Wake is appearing in postseason play (including NIT games) for the 14th consecutive year.

The Rams, 23-7, have won eight straight games including a three-game sweep of the March 6-8 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. VCU is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996.

Wake and VCU, though separated by just 233 miles, have never met previously on the hardwood.

A Quick Look At The Deacons

Wake Forest, facing one of the nation's most difficult schedules with one of college basketball's youngest rosters, rode a roller-coaster season to a 19-9 overall record.

The Deacons, who have no scholarship seniors on the roster, began the season with an 11-game winning streak, rising all the way to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll. Wake proceeded to lose six of its next eight games, with four of those losses coming to ranked opponents.

Wake then won six straight, including three straight over ranked teams, to end the month of February. The Deacons lost their final two regular season games, then lost in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals to Maryland, giving Wake a three-game losing streak.

More on the 2003-04 Deacons:

- The Wake Forest schedule is rated as the third-toughest nationally by Jeff Sagarin. The Deacons' final 17 regular season games included 15 ACC games and dates with nationally-ranked non-conference foes Texas and Cincinnati.

- The Deacons are one of the nation's most proficient offensive teams. They lead the ACC and rank second nationally in scoring (83.8 ppg.) and the Deacons lead the ACC in field goal percentage (47.2 percent).

- On the flipside, Wake ranks last in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (44.5 percent). Over the last 10 games, Deacon opponents have shot 48.5 percent.

- Wake has out-rebounded eight of its last nine opponents.

- For the most part, Wake Forest uses an eight-man rotation that includes three juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.

- The Deacons often use a three-guard lineup of freshman Chris Paul, sophomore Justin Gray and junior Taron Downey.

- Paul is the 2004 ACC Rookie of the Year and he has been named National Freshman of the Year by two sources, including Dick Vitale.

- Gray is the first Wake Forest sophomore to earn first team All-ACC honors since Tim Duncan in 1995.

Deacon-Ram Series History

- First meeting.

- Wake Forest is 47-12 all-time against teams currently in the Colonial Athletic Association.

- The Deacons are 1-0 all-time against current CAA teams in the NCAA Tournament. Wake beat Old Dominion in the first round of the 1982 tournament.

- Wake last played a CAA team on Nov. 12, 2001 -- a 79-78 win over visiting NC-Wilmington in the opening round of the Preseason NIT.

- While the Deacons have never met VCU, they did beat the Rams' cross-city rival, Richmond, this season. Wake went 2-1 this year against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia, including a win over Richmond and a split with Virginia.

- Deacon head coach Skip Prosser is 1-0 all-time against Virginia Commonwealth. His Xavier team won on the road against VCU, 81-75, on Nov. 30, 1995.

- Ram coach Jeff Capel has never coached against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest-VCU Connections

- VCU head coach Jeff Capel, a native of Fayetteville, N.C., played at Duke and graduated in 1997.

- Capel played for the Blue Devils from 1994-97 -- the same years Tim Duncan played for Wake Forest. Duke went 1-8 against Wake Forest during Capel's career.

- An 11-year old Capel appeared on the cover of the 1986-87 Wake Forest Media Guide, along with brother, Jason, Deacon senior Muggsy Bogues and others.

- Capel's father, also named Jeff, was an assistant coach at Wake Forest from the 1986-87 season through the 1988-89 season. Current Richmond head coach Jerry Wainwright and current Boston University head coach Dennis Wolff were also on head coach Dave Odom's staff. Capel Sr. went on to serve as head coach at Fayetteville State and Old Dominion.

- Ram assistant coach Mark Cline was Wake Forest's captain in 1986 and 1987. He left Wake Forest as the program's 17th all-time leading scorer. Cline finished his career with 1,202 points and averaged 10.7 points per game. He was a graduate assistant at Wake Forest during the 1988-89 season, and later coached at Fayetteville State and North Carolina A&T.

- The Rams have three players from the state of North Carolina including Julian Capel (cousin of Coach Jeff Capel, Fayetteville / Pine Forest), A.B. Lehmann (Fayetteville / Terry Sanford) and Drew Johnson (Raleigh / Southeast).

- Assistant coach Jeff LeMere graduated from Duke in 1994 and was the Blue Devils' Director of Basketball Operations from 1997-2002. - Wake Forest's colors are old gold and black. VCU's colors are gold and black.

Wake vs. Florida: Series History

- The all-time series is knotted, 5-5.

- The Deacons and Gators have not met since the 1995-96 season and the two teams have played just twice since 1976.

- Wake Forest won the last meeting, 77-53 in Gainesville on Dec. 9, 1995. The previous season, Florida beat the Deacons in Greensboro, 81-70.

- The Deacons and Gators met twice in the Gator Bowl Classic in Jacksonville, FL. Wake beat the Gators, 78-75 in overtime, on Dec. 27, 1975. Florida won the first Gator Bowl meeting, 83-65, on Dec. 29, 1964.

- The two teams first met during the 1935-36 season when they split back-to-back games.

- Wake Forest and Florida have met in four different North Carolina cities -- Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Wake Forest and Charlotte -- but never in Raleigh.

- Florida beat third-ranked Wake Forest in Gainesville on Dec. 12, 1961. The Deacons went on to play in the Final Four that season.

- Wake Forest is 75-53 all-time against teams currently in the SEC. Seventy of those 128 games came against former ACC member South Carolina.

- The Deacons are 1-4 all-time against SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Auburn beat Wake Forest in the second round, 68-62.

- Wake head coach Skip Prosser has never coached against Florida.

Wake Forest-Florida All-Time Results

12/9/95 -- #10 Wake 77, Florida 53 Gainesville

12/3/94 -- #6 Florida 81, #21 Wake 70 Greensboro

12/27/75 -- Wake 78, Florida 75 (ot) Jacksonville

12/29/64 -- Florida 83, Wake 65 Jacksonville

12/15/62 -- Florida 73, Wake 67 Gainesville

12/12/61 -- Florida 71, #3 Wake 65 Gainesville

12/2/60 -- Wake 85, Florida 79 Winston-Salem

12/18/56 -- Wake 55, Florida 53 Charlotte

1935-36 -- Wake 34, Florida 32 Wake Forest, NC

1935-36 -- Florida 32, Wake 24 Wake Forest, NC

Wake vs. Florida: Connections

- Florida's Anthony Roberson (Saginaw) and Wake Forest's Kyle Visser (Grand Rapids) both hail from Michigan.

- Florida's Bonell Colas (North Miami HS) and Wake Forest's Jamaal Levy (Berkshire Academy in Homestead) both played high school basketball in the Miami area.

- Billy Donovan was an assistant coach at Kentucky under Rick Pitino when the Wildcats eliminated Wake Forest from the 1993 NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16 in Charlotte.

- As head coach at Marshall in 1994-95, Donovan lost to the Demon Deacons in Joel Coliseum, 95-59.

- Wake radio play-by-play announcer Stan Cotten worked at Marshall while Donovan coached the Herd.

- The Gators started their 2000 run to the NCAA championship game in Winston-Salem's Joel Coliseum where Mike Miller's buzzer beater allowed the Gators to escape against Butler.

- Florida assistant coach Donnie Jones (1990-92) and Wake assistant Jeff Battle (1986) both previously served as the Marshall University graduate assistant.

Wake vs. Manhattan: Series History

- No previous meetings.

- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser coached against the Jaspers three times in his first year as a head coach, in 1993-94 at Loyola (MD). Manhattan swept Prosser's Greyhounds during the regular season, but Loyola beat the Jaspers in the MAAC Tournament championship game. That win sent Loyola to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

- The Deacons are 10-6 all-time against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Wake's last game against a MAAC opponent came on Dec. 5, 1995 -- a 74-60 win at Canisius.

Wake vs. Manhattan: Connections

- Manhattan coach Bobby Gonzalez replaced Skip Prosser on Pete Gillen's staff at Xavier when Prosser left to become head coach at Loyola (Md.) before the 1993-94 season.

- Gonzalez was the top assistant at Virginia under Pete Gillen during the 1998-99 season when he recruited Travis Watson and Majestic Mapp to the Cavaliers.

Unusual Facts

- There are more teams from the city of Richmond in this year's NCAA Tournament (VCU, Richmond) than the basketball-rich state of Indiana (Valparaiso).

- Wake Forest has the best record in NCAA Tournament overtime games (3-0) in the history of the tournament.

ACC Rookie Of The Year Is Chris Paul

In a conference loaded with talented freshman, Chris Paul came away with the ACC Rookie of the Year, which was awarded March 16th.

Paul is the first Wake Forest player to earn ACC Rookie of the Year honors since Robert O'Kelley in 1998. He is just the third Deacon all-time to win the award (Rodney Rogers was the other selection in 1991).

Paul's award means that over the last two seasons Wake Forest has won all three individual ACC awards. Josh Howard was the ACC Player of the Year last season and Skip Prosser was the 2003 Coach of the Year.

Justin Gray: First Team All-ACC

Wake Forest sophomore guard Justin Gray, the ACC's third-leading scorer and one of only two league players to average more than three three-point field goals per game, was named first team All-ACC March 8th.

Gray is joined on the first team by Rashad McCants (North Carolina), Julius Hodge (NC State), Tim Pickett (Florida State) and Chris Duhon (Duke). More on Gray's All-ACC selection.

- Gray gives Wake Forest first team selections in back-to-back years (Josh Howard was a unanimous first team selection last season) for the first time since 1996-97.

- Gray and McCants are the only two sophomores on the team. Hodge is a junior and Pickett and Duhon are seniors.

- Gray is the first Wake Forest sophomore to earn All-ACC first team honors since Tim Duncan in 1995.

- Twenty-one Wake Forest players have earned first team honors a total of 33 times.

Chris Paul Earns Four ACC Honors

Chris Paul became the first Wake Forest freshman to earn All-ACC honors since Rodney Rogers in 1991 when he was named third team All-ACC March 8.

Paul was also named to the ACC's All-Freshman and All-Defensive Teams. More on Paul's ACC awards:

- Paul was named second team All-ACC Tournament even though the Deacons lost in the quarterfinals.

- Paul and Duke's Luol Deng, also a third team selection, were the only freshmen to earn All-ACC honors.

- Paul and Deng were unanimous selections for the All-Freshman Team. - The ACC leader in steals per game, Paul was the only freshman named to the All-Defensive Team.

- Paul gives Wake Forest a member of the All-Freshman Team for the second straight year. Justin Gray was on the team last year.

- Paul is the sixth Deacon to earn All-Freshman honors since the team originated in 1993. He joins Tim Duncan (1994), Loren Woods (1997), Robert O'Kelley (1998), Darius Songaila (1999) and Gray (2003).

Gray And Paul Named All-District

Justin Gray was named first team USBWA All-District III and Chris Paul was named second team March 8.

Gray was joined on the first team by Chris Duhon (Duke), Julius Hodge (NC State), Rashad McCants (North Carolina) and J.J. Redick (Duke).

Paul Earns National Recognition

Chris Paul has been named the National Freshman of the Year by two different sources. Paul was named "Diaper Dandy" of the Year by ESPN/ABC analyst Dick Vitale. He was also named the nation's top freshman by CollegeInsider.com. Rivals.com named Paul first team All-Freshman.

Paul A Finalist Cousy Award

Deacon freshman Chris Paul is a finalist for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard Award.

Paul is one of 16 finalists for the Cousy Award and he is the only freshman on the list of candidates. North Carolina's Raymond Felton is the other ACC player on the list of candidates.

Paul was also one of just two freshmen on the Wooden Award midseason list of candidates, joining Minnesota's Kris Humphries. He is one of five ACC players on the list, joining Duke's Chris Duhon, Georgia Tech's B.J. Elder, NC State's Julius Hodge and UNC's Sean May.

Levy Recognized For Defense

Junior Jamaal Levy was named to the Fans' Guide ACC All-Defensive Team March 8th. Levy was also named honorable mention All-Defensive by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Deacs Ranked For 33rd Straight Week

Wake Forest dropped two spots two 17th in the Associated Press poll and two spots to 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll this week.

- The Deacons have been ranked in the polls all season -- as high as fourth and as low as 20th.

- Five other ACC teams are in the AP poll -- (6) Duke, (14) Georgia Tech, (15) NC State, (18) North Carolina and (19) Maryland.

- The Deacons have been ranked in the AP poll for 33 consecutive weeks -- the seventh-longest current streak behind Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Arizona, Pittsburgh and Texas.

- Wake has been ranked in the AP poll 46 times in 53 weeks under Skip Prosser.

- Wake is ranked 11th in the Sagarin Ratings, 17th by CBS Sportsline, 19th by Blue Ribbon Yearbook and 20th by CollegeRPI.com.

One Of The Nation's Toughest Schedules

Wake Forest has faced one of the nation's most difficult schedules this season:

- The Wake schedule is ranked as the fourth-toughest by Sagarin and the ninth-most difficult by CollegeRPI.

- Eight Wake Forest opponents are in the AP top 20 -- (6) Duke, (11) Cincinnati, (12) Texas, (14) Georgia Tech, (15) NC State, (18) North Carolina, (19) Maryland and (24) Memphis.

- Nine Deacon opponents will play in the NCAA Tournament.

- Wake's final 17 games of the regular season included 15 ACC games, plus dates with nationally-ranked Texas and Cincinnati.

Deacs Have Faced Nine Ranked Teams

Wake Forest has already faced nine nationally-ranked teams this season:

- Wake Forest, 4-5 against ranked teams this season, played just six ranked teams all of last season.

- Wake has defeated four ranked teams for the first time since beating six ranked teams in 1996-97.

- The Deacs have beaten two teams ranked in the top five -- No. 4 North Carolina and No. 3 Duke -- for the first time since 1994-95.

- Wake has two road wins this season against ranked teams -- at then-No. 4 North Carolina on Dec. 20 and at then-No. 18 Georgia Tech Feb. 22 -- for the first time since 1996-97.

- The Deacs beat three ranked teams -- No. 13 Cincinnati, No. 3 Duke and No. 18 Georgia Tech -- in consecutive games for the first time in school history.

Deacons Looking For 20th Win

Wake Forest, 19-9 entering the NCAA Tournament, is looking for its third consecutive 20-win season. One more win would also give the Deacons 20 or more wins for the ninth time in the last 12 years.

One more Wake win would also give the Deacons 66 wins in three seasons under coach Skip Prosser. That would tie for the fourth-most wins in a three-year span in Wake Forest history.

Wake's NCAA Tournament History

- Wake Forest makes its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Deacons are 24-18 all-time in Tournament play.

- The Deacons are making their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their 11th appearance since 1991.

- Including appearances in the NIT, Wake Forest is appearing in postseason play for the 14th consecutive year. That's the longest current streak in the ACC.

- Wake Forest has appeared in the Final Four once -- in 1962 -- behind Len Chappell and Billy Packer.

- The Deacons have made it to the Elite Eight six times -- most recently in 1996.

- Wake Forest is looking for its first Sweet 16 berth since 1996.

- WFU is 13-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament first-round games. The Deacs won their last two first-round games -- vs. Pepperdine in 2002 and vs. East Tennessee State in 2003. Wake's last first-round loss came against Butler in 2001.

- Wake Forest is 5-3 all-time in regional semifinal games and 1-4 in regional championship games.

- The Deacons are 2-2 in NCAA Tournament play under coach Skip Prosser, losing in the second round in 2002 (to Oregon) and 2003 (to Auburn).

- Wake Forest is one of the eight teams that participated in the very first NCAA Tournament in 1939.

- Wake Forest has placed one player -- Len Chappell in 1962 -- on the NCAA All-Tournament team.

- A Wake Forest player has been named to an All-regional team nine times -- most recently Tim Duncan in 1996.

The Deacons In Raleigh, The RBC Center

- Wake Forest is 3-2 all-time in the RBC Center. All five of those games have come against NC State.

- The Deacons lost in the RBC Center this season to NC State. Wake blew a 16-point halftime lead in a 73-68 loss to the Wolfpack.

- Wake Forest will play an NCAA Tournament game in Raleigh for the first time since 1953. In 1953, Wake's second ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Deacons lost to Holy Cross in the regional semifinals, then beat Lebanon Valley in the regional consolation game.

- The Deacons are 3-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games played in North Carolina. Five of those seven games were played in Charlotte.

- Raleigh was the host city for the ACC Tournament from the inaugural event in 1954 to 1966.

Prosser's NCAA Tournament Resume

- Head coach Skip Prosser will lead a team into the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time -- and for the fourth consecutive year -- in his 11-year coaching career.

- Prosser is one of 11 active coaches who have taken three different schools to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, Prosser is the only coach to take all three schools to the Tournament in his first year at each school.

- Including NIT play, Prosser has guided 10 of his 11 teams to postseason play.

- His NCAA Tournament record is 3-7, including a 2-2 mark while at Wake Forest.

- Prosser led Xavier to the NCAA Tournament five times (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001).

- In his first year as a Division I coach, Prosser led Loyola (MD) to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

- After leading Loyola to the Tournament, Prosser then took Xavier to the Big Dance in his first year with the Musketeers. Thad Matta is the only other coach to lead two different schools to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons as a head coach.

- Prosser is the fifth different coach to lead Wake Forest to the NCAA Tournament. In fact, only Dave Odom (8 Tournament appearances) and Carl Tacy (4) have led the Deacs to the NCAA Tournament more than Prosser.

Wake's NCAA Seed History

n Wake Forest is a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third time and the first time since 1984.

- The Deacons are 2-2 all-time as the No. 4 seed. In 1984, Wake beat No. 5 seed Kansas, followed by a win over No. 1 seed DePaul. The win over the Blue Demons -- Ray Meyer's last game as DePaul's coach -- sent Wake to the regional final, where it lost to Houston.

- Since the seeding process began in 1979, the No. 4 seed is 60-16 in first-round games and 34-26 in second-round games.

- The No. 4 seed has won the NCAA championship once -- Arizona in 1997.

- The No. 4 seed has advanced to the Final Four seven times -- most recently Ohio State in 1999.

State Of NC Well-Represented In Tourney

Wake Forest is one of five North Carolina teams in the 65-team NCAA Tournament field, joining Charlotte, Duke, North Carolina and NC State.

The most teams from North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament came in 2002 when six teams participated.

In case you're wondering, two schools from the same state have played for the NCAA championship twice -- Cincinnati beat Ohio State in 1961 and in 1962.

All "Big Four" Teams In "Big Dance"

- The four North Carolina ACC schools (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest) -- the "Big Four" -- are all in the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 1991. Both Duke and North Carolina advanced to the Final Four that year and Wake Forest and NC State both made it to the second round.

- All four "Big Four" teams are ranked in the Associated Press poll.

- Duke (1st), NC State (2nd), Wake Forest (3rd) and North Carolina (5th) all finished in the top five of the ACC standings for the first time since 1999.

NCAA/East Rutherford Region Notebook

- ACC rival Duke will also be playing at the RBC Center this week. The Blue Devils, however, are in the Atlanta Regional.

- The 16 teams that make up the East Rutherford Regional average 22.5 wins per club. That's the highest average out of the four regionals.

- Seven of the 16 teams in the East Rutherford region won their respective conference tournament.

- Wake Forest beat two of the teams in the East Rutherford Region earlier this season -- Memphis and Richmond.

- Oklahoma State is also in the region. The Cowboys beat Wake Forest in East Rutherford in the 1995 NCAA Regional semifinals.

- Former Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom has his South Carolina team in the East Rutherford Region.

- In 1962, Len Chappell averaged 26.8 points and 17.2 rebounds per game in five NCAA Tournament games.

Wake 2nd In The Nation In Scoring

- Wake Forest leads the ACC and ranks second in the nation in scoring offense (83.8 points per game).

- The Deacons could finish first in the ACC in scoring for the first time since 1981 and for just the fifth time in the 51-year history of the conference. Duke has led the league in scoring each of the last seven years.

- Wake is averaging more points per game than any Deacon team since 1976.

- The Deacons have scored 90 or more points in a game nine times this season.

Deacons Reach Victory Milestones

- Wake Forest earned all-time win No. 1,300 Feb. 22 at Georgia Tech.

- Wake's win at Maryland Feb. 28 was its ninth ACC win of the season, securing a winning record in league play for the third straight year.

Wake One Of Nation's Youngest Teams

- With no scholarship seniors on the roster, Wake Forest is one of college basketball's youngest teams. In fact, the Deacons are one of just six Division I schools with no scholarship seniors on the roster.

- Walk-on Alan Williams is the only senior on the Deacon roster.

- Wake Forest has just three juniors on the roster to go with five sophomores and four freshmen.

- Wake's top three scorers are all freshmen or sophomores. In fact, freshmen and sophomores have combined to produce 69.3 percent of the Deacons' point total (1,626 of 2,347).

- Two juniors, two sophomores and one freshman made up the starting five last time out.

Individual Milestones On The Horizon

- Taron Downey (124 career three-point field goals) or Justin Gray (123) could pass Steven Goolsby (127) for sixth place on Wake's career three-point field goals list. - Downey (278 career assists) needs six assists to pass Delaney Rudd (283) for 10th place on Wake's all-time assists chart.

- Gray (88 three-point field goals this season) needs six three-pointers to tie Randolph Childress (94 three-pointers in 1995) for the third-most single-season three-pointers in Wake Forest history.

- Chris Paul (78 steals this season), is seven steals away from tying for the second-most single-season steals in Wake history. With 11 steals, Paul will tie Muggsy Bogues (89 steals in 1986) for the most single-season steals in school history.

- Paul (162 assists this season) needs six assists to pass Randolph Childress (167 assists in 1995) for the seventh-most single-season assists in Wake history.

- Paul (397 points) is three points away from becoming the fifth freshman in Wake Forest history to score 400 single-season points. With nine points, Paul will pass Chris King (404 points) and Randolph Childress (405) to take over third place on Wake's all-time freshman scoring list.

- Paul (123 free throws) is tied with Darius Songaila for the most free throws ever by a Wake freshman.

- Paul needs two more starts to become just the fourth freshman in Wake history to start 30 games.

- With eight more free throw attempts, Paul will pass Songaila for the second-most attempts ever by a Deacon freshman.

Deacon Player Notebook

- Justin Gray and Richard Joyce were high school teammates with Denver Nuggets rookie Carmelo Anthony at Oak Hill Academy. Gray and Anthony remain good friends and talk frequently via cell phone.

- Sophomore Chris Ellis' father, Dale Ellis, was a standout player in the NBA and previously at Tennessee.

- Sophomore Eric Williams' mother, Debra, once pulled down 31 rebounds in a high school game. She went on to play basketball at Livingstone College.

- Williams' hobby is drawing cartoons. One of his cartoons was published last year in the Raleigh News & Observer.

- Freshman Chris Paul carries with him to every game a copy of his grandfather's obituary. Paul's grandfather was tragically killed last year. On the day of the funeral, Paul went out and scored 61 points -- one for every year of his grandfather's life.

- Junior Vytas Danelius can speak four different languages -- English, Lithuanian, Russian and German.

- Joyce grew up not far from Winston-Salem in Mount Airy, NC. Mount Airy is the town in which the Andy Griffith Show was based.

- Freshman Kyle Visser's parents, Diane and James Visser, have made the drive from Grand Rapids, MI for several Deacon home games this season.

- There are four walk-ons on the Deacon roster: senior Alan Williams, junior Scott Benken, junior Scott Feather and sophomore John Buck.

- Benken, a transfer from Cincinnati, will graduate this spring. He plans to end his basketball career and enroll in pharmacy school.

Wake Forest 2-0 In Extra Minutes

- Wake Forest is 2-0 in overtime games this season after it beat visiting Florida State, 90-87, Feb. 25. The Deacons beat North Carolina in triple-overtime back on Dec. 20, 119-114. Oddly, the Florida State game was Wake's first overtime game that didn't go to at least a second overtime since Jan. 31, 2001.

- Wake Forest hasn't played an overtime game in the NCAA Tournament since a 73-71 win over DePaul in 1984.

- The Deacons are 3-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament overtime games.

Last Hurrah For Senior Walk-Ons

Wake Forest had "Senior Night" Feb. 25 to honor two Deacon players and two student-managers.

Walk-on Alan Williams is the only true senior and the only fourth-year player on the Deacon roster. Williams' career began as a walk-on under coach Dave Odom in the 2000-01 season. He has been a part of one of the best four-year runs in Wake Forest history as the Deacons have won 83 games in the last four seasons combined. Scott Benken, who earned a spot on the roster with his remarkable work ethic, is in his second year with the Deacons. He will graduate in the spring and enroll in pharmacy school. Also honored were managers Tom Norton and Adam Ampuja.

Deacons Have Had Their Share Of Injuries

Wake Forest head trainer, assistant athletic director Greg Collins, has been one of the most active people on the Deacon staff this season as Wake has suffered more than its share of injuries.

Four different Deacons have missed a combined 14 games. Junior Vytas Danelius (high ankle sprain) missed five straight games before returning to action Jan. 13 at Texas. Sophomore Chris Ellis is back in the fold after breaking a bone in his foot on the first day of practice. Freshmen Kyle Visser and Todd Hendley missed one game each.

Home Court Streak Ends At 24

Wake Forest's home loss to Georgia Tech Jan. 20 ended a 24-game home court win streak and marked the Deacons' first loss at Joel Coliseum since Feb. 21, 2002, against Duke. The 24-game streak fell one short of tying the school record for consecutive home court wins.

Wake Signs One In Early Signing Period

Cameron Stanley, a 6-7 senior at Raleigh Millbrook High School, signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball at Wake Forest, Demon Deacon head coach Skip Prosser confirmed November 19. Stanley averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior in 2002-03 while leading Millbrook to a 26-5 record. He was a finalist for North Carolina's Mr. Basketball, he earned a spot on the all-conference team and he emerged as one of the nation's top prospects at the ABCD camp in Teaneck, N.J.. Stanley was also invited to USA Basketball's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo.

As a sophomore, Stanley averaged 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.

The current Wake Forest roster includes no scholarship seniors. Assuming the roster remains intact, Stanley will be one of nine North Carolina natives on the 2004-05 Deacon roster.

Wake Forest Retires Howard's Jersey

Wake Forest retired the jersey of former consensus All-American Josh Howard during a ceremony at halftime of Wake's Jan. 29 game against Maryland. Howard, currently a rookie with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, attended the ceremony.

In 2003, Howard enjoyed a remarkable season. He was the first unanimous selection for ACC Player of the Year since NC State's David Thompson in 1975. Howard, a consensus first team All-American last season, is one of five players in the history of the ACC to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocked shots. He led Wake Forest to a 25-6 record in 2003 and the Deacons won the ACC regular season title for the first time in more than 40 years.

Howard's jersey is the 10th to be retired at Wake Forest and the first since Tim Duncan in 1997. Other Deacons to have their jerseys retired: Tyrone Bogues, Skip Brown, Len Chappell, Randolph Childress, Charlie Davis, Rod Griffin, Dickie Hemric and Rodne