Live Blog: #2 UVA faces Wake Forest in ACC Sunday Night Hoops

AFP editor Chris Graham leads our live coverage as #2 UVA (17-1, 6-0 ACC) faces Wake Forest (8-10, 1-5 ACC) Sunday at 6 p.m. in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Broadcast Information

The Virginia-Wake Forest contest will be televised on ESPNU and streamed on ACC Network Extra (ESPN3.com) and ESPN App, and broadcast on the Virginia Sports Radio Network, VirginiaSports.com and Virginia Athletics mobile app on iTunes or Android.
Live statistics will be located on VirginiaSports.com and the Virginia Sports app.

Kyle Guy leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game and has reached double figures in 15 games, including a career-high 29 points at VCU (11/17/17), 22 vs. Syracuse (1/9/18) and 21 vs. Lehigh (12/2/17).
Devon Hall has averaged 12.6 points, which is 4.2 points higher than last year’s average of 8.4 points.
Isaiah Wilkins is averaging 7.0 points and team-highs in rebounds (7.2), blocked shots (1.6) and steals (1.5).
Ty Jerome is averaging 9.8 points and Jack Salt has chipped in 3.9 rebounds per game and 16 blocked shots.
Redshirt freshman De’Andre Hunter (7.6 ppg) has reached double figures in four of the last five games, including team highs at Georgia Tech (17) and Virginia Tech (14).
Graduate transfer Nigel Johnson is averaging 5.8 points and Mamadi Diakite has added 5.3 ppg & 3.4 rpg.

Bryant Crawford, a 6’3” junior guard, is the go-to guy for Manning, leading Wake with 16.2 points per game, though he shoots just 39.6 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from three-point range. Crawford posts 4.7 assists per game, but has been prone to the turnover (3.1 per game).
6’3” guard Keyshawn Woods is the other double-digit scorer for the Deacons, at 14.2 points per game, on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 43.3 percent shooting from three. Woods comes off the bench for Wake, though he still averages 25.9 minutes per game, tied for second on the team.
Doral Moore, a 7’1”, 280-pound junior, eats up space in the middle, and averages 9.8 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game and 2.3 blocked shots per game, shooting 70.9 percent from the floor on 6.1 shots per game. Moore is just a 44.7 percent free-throw shooter.
Also watch for: 6’ sophomore guard Brandon Childress (8.9 ppg, 38.3% FG, 36.1% 3FG), 6’2” guard Mitchell Wilbekin (8.8 ppg, 39.5% FG, 43.4% 3FG).

Check Moore in the post: Doral Moore is a highly efficient post player on the offensive end, but he averages just the 6.1 shot attempts per game. Jack Salt likely gets the assignment to check Moore, with the instructions to make Moore work for whatever he gets.
Avoiding looking past the opponent: Honestly, this looks like a pretty good matchup for Virginia. Wake is at its best, relatively speaking, when it goes small, and Virginia is one of the better small-ball teams in the nation, obviously, right now ranked #2 in the national polls. This is still a road game in the ACC, with games against two ranked teams, Clemson and Duke, on the horizon. Wake has played Virginia decently well the past couple of years, so the ‘Hoos will need to give their full attention Sunday night to avoid what could be a trap game.

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected]. Support AFP by signing up for our newsletter and/or powering our work with a one-time or monthly contribution.