Virginia Tech will finally take to the court tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum some time after 9 p.m., and their opponent will be the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Hokies had to wait until early Friday morning to know that, because Wake and Georgia Tech played a game for the ages last night. It was finally decided in double overtime, with Wake Forest winning 114-112.

The #3 seed Hokies have faced the #11 seed Demon Deacons once this year. Tech defeated Wake Forest 63-60 on December 17 in Blacksburg. Tech overcame a four-point halftime deficit to win the game, despite shooting poorly (39.2%) against one of the ACC's worst defensive teams.

Without looking at the matchups, Virginia Tech might have the most advantageous draw of the ACC tournament. Wake Forest was very late getting back to their hotel last night. Not only did their game go into double overtime, but the previous game featuring NC State and Duke went into overtime as well. The Hokies should have the fresher legs on Friday night, and that should give them an advantage.

That's one school of thought. The other says that Wake Forest might have an advantage. They have a game under their belts on a court the Hokies aren't used to (actually, Wake has played twice in the Forum. They lost to USF there back on December 29). They've had 50 minutes of basketball to get sighted in on the baskets. And boy, did they ever get sighted in.

Wake Forest completely bombed Georgia Tech from three-point range last night. The Demon Deacons nailed 16-of-23 shots from the outside for 69.6%. It was shooting guard Harvey Hale who put Wake over the top. Hale scored 21 of his 22 points in the two overtime periods. Hale played just 18 minutes in the game and managed to score over a point a minute.

Georgia Tech could do nothing as Hale bombed them with a barrage of three-pointers. He's known for that--he's a 37.9% three-point shooter on the season. However, he's never had a game like he had last night. Besides Hale, who is a part-time starter, Wake has a lot of weapons they can throw at the Hokies.

Wake Forest Starting Lineup
Position	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Points	Rebounds
G	Ishmael Smith	5-11	155	Fr.	8.8	3.8
G	L.D. Williams	6-4	210	Fr.	8.4	4.1
F	Michael Drum	6-6	204	Sr.	8.8	2.5
F	Jamie Skeen	6-8	220	Fr.	7.5	4.8
C	Kyle Visser	6-11	255	Sr.	17	7.3

Freshman point guard Ishmael Smith is perhaps the quickest guard in the ACC. He is excellent at getting into the lane, and as the season has progressed, his decision making has improved. After his 15 assist performance last night, Smith leads the conference by averaging 6.17 assists per game. He also turned the ball over eight times, showing that he's still a freshman.

Smith is a pass-first player, but he gets into the lane so often that he's taken a lot of shots for the Deacs this year. He is a 42.6% shooter from the field, which isn't a bad number considering his small frame. He doesn't shoot the three-pointer often, but he has to be respected from the outside. His poorest attribute is his free throw shooting. He hits just 46.1% from the charity stripe. If he gets in the lane, the Hokies shouldn't be afraid to make him earn his points at the free throw line.

The top player on the team is senior center Kyle Visser. Visser is the only Demon Deacon to average double figures in scoring this year. He's very strong with good body control, and he does a good job of getting himself in position to receive the entry pass. Wake depends on Visser a lot, and they get him the ball a lot. He's shot 227 free throws this season, connecting on 63.9% of them.

The Hokies can afford to double team and play help defense on Visser. Once the ball is thrown inside to him, it's not likely to come back out. In 30 games this year, Visser has just 19 assists.

A player who could potentially develop into one of the ACC's top players is wing guard L.D. Williams, a former Virginia Tech recruiting target. Williams is extremely physical and strong for a freshman, and he can knock down the open jumper. He is a 38.9% three-point shooter. He has also developed into Wake's most consistent perimeter defender, where he uses his size and strength well. Don't be surprised to see him guarding Zabian Dowdell for much of the game.

An underrated player for Wake Forest is walk-n Mike Drum, a 6-5 wing who transferred to Wake after playing Division II basketball for Presbyterian College. He averages 8.8 points per game, which ties for second on the team. Drum isn't a great athlete, but he knows how to play the game and get himself open, and he can drive to the basket if need be. Drum is shooting 48.1% from three-point range this year.

Jamie Skeen could potentially play a big factor in tonight's game as well. At 6-8, 220, Skeen has the body of a power forward, and he can play inside or out. He does an excellent job of lulling the defense to sleep and floating around the three-point line, where he is an excellent shooter for his size. Skeen is knocking down treys at a 38.6% clip this year. He is also Wake's second leading rebounder, averaging 4.8 boards per game.

Wake Forest is a very dangerous team because they have the ability to play inside out. They have a very fast point guard who can get into the lane and score, pass to a cutter, or pass to an open three-point shooter. They have a center who can play very well with his back to the basket. And as icing on the cake, every perimeter player they put in the game can knock down the three-point shot.

Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech (ACC Games Only)
Category	Wake Forest		Virginia Tech
Category	Stat	ACC Rank	Stat	ACC Rank
FG %	42.0%	10	47.3%	3
FG % Defense	47.3%	9	43.9%	4
3-Pt. %	34.4%	8	35.6%	6
3-Pt. % Defense	33.8%	2	35.4%	6
FT %	61.8%	11	71.1%	7
Rebounding Margin	-1.1	8	-2.7	10
Turnover Margin	-1.44	9	+2.00	2
Assist/TO Ratio	0.76	12	1.16	3
Scoring Offense	68.1	11	72	6
Scoring Defense	76.8	11	71.4	5
Average		9.1		5.2

As a team, Wake Forest hasn't been that good from the outside in ACC play (last night the obvious exception), but they do have a lot of players who can hit the three-pointer. Their ranking of eighth in the ACC in three-point percentage is the most misleading stat that you'll see in the table above. They are a better three-point shooting team than that.

In fact, three-point shooting might be the biggest concern for the Hokies tonight. In their last two games, Wake has shot 43.8% and 69.6% from the outside. Meanwhile, Tech has given up 10 three-pointers in each of their last two games. Clemson was 10-of-19 (52.6%), while UVA was 10-of-16 (62.5%). The Hokies need to get back to the basics defensively. Just a few weeks ago they were #2 in the ACC in three-point percentage defense, but since then they've dropped all the way to sixth.

1) They are the better team. They proved that throughout the course of the season by earning the #3 seed in the tournament. Tech beat Duke, UNC, UVA, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Maryland, the other top teams in the conference. They were the only team to win at UNC and Georgia Tech.

2) Wake is tired. The Demon Deacons probably didn't get back to their hotel until 2 a.m. last night. Some of them might not have fallen asleep until 3 a.m. Tech has the advantage of being better rested.

3) More experience. Virginia Tech starts three seniors, with two more coming off the bench. Wake Forest starts three freshmen, and everyone in their rotation is either a freshman or sophomore, except for Kyle Visser and Mike Drum.

1) Who knows what Tech team will show up? They Hokies are capable of playing very well, but they've also played poorly in some games. If the bad Hokies show up tonight, Wake will win.

2) The Hokies have no low post answer for Kyle Visser. He could potentially take over the game for the Demon Deacons.

3) Wake Forest is sighted in. Their game last night was their second in the St. Pete Times Forum this season, while the Hokies haven't played yet. Sometimes it takes awhile for players to get adjusted to new arena. The lighting and depth perception are different than what they are used to. Wake Forest has had a chance to work out the kinks, while the Hokies have not.