For the past two seasons, Pitt and Wake Forest have had their share of trouble riding the NCAA tournament bubble, and in 2025, both teams are trying to make it back to the sport’s greatest stage — the Panthers after narrowly missing out a year ago, and the Demon Deacons after a seven year postseason drought. How their first and only meeting of the regular season swings will play a large part in determining either side’s postseason fate.
Here’s what you need to know before Pitt and Wake Forest battle to earn a Quad 1 win at noon on Saturday, with ESPN2 broadcasting the game from Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum:
Top storyline
The Panthers and Demon Deacons are part of the ACC’s crowded middle class. Just two games separate Wake Forest, Stanford and SMU, tied for the league’s fourth-best record, and Notre Dame, which currently sits in ninth place. Pitt put itself behind the curve when it dropped four games in a row and now holds the eighth-place spot.
Duke, Louisville and Clemson are separating themselves from the rest of the pack — each have one loss or fewer in conference play. As a result, there are as many as six teams that are fewer than three games back of fourth place, which will be the last team to earn a double-bye in the coming ACC tournament.
Losing to the Demon Deacons might not end Pitt’s chances of reaching fourth place mathematically, but it would make the pursuit of the fourth seed all that more difficult, given how crowded the middle of the pack is right now. Pitt needs to keep stacking conference wins in order to contend for one of those top spots.
Players to watch
Guillermo Diaz Graham: Diaz Graham leads the Panthers and ranks 24th in the ACC in offensive rebound rate. Wake Forest, on the other hand, ranks 270th in offensive rebounds allowed per game. The opposing defense will be stout, so Diaz Graham can be a game-changer for Pitt if he can keep offensive possessions alive with his effort on the glass.
Zack Austin: How does one follow up a 15-point, five-block effort like Austin put forth against North Carolina? We’re about to find out. By some metrics, Austin is outperforming even his best years at High Point. He’s scoring less but averaging career-high shooting marks from the field, 3-point range and the free throw line.
He’s become a weapon on both ends and, after playing 39 minutes on Tuesday against North Carolina (he was subbed out only briefly to deal with some cramping), someone that Jeff Capel can’t afford to take off the floor.
Behind enemy lines
Head coach: Steve Forbes, fifth season at Wake Forest (216-103 overall, 86-60 at Wake Forest)
NET Ranking: 69
KenPom Ranking: 75
Probable starting lineup (points - rebounds - assists)
1. Cameron Hildreth (13.1 - 3.9 - 3.0)
2. Ty-Laur Johnson (5.3 - 2.3 - 2.6)
3. Efton Reid (8.1 - 6.0 - 1.1)
4. Hunter Sallis (18.6 - 4.6 - 2.6)
5. Tre’Von Spillers (10.2 - 8.5 - 0.5)
The scoop: Forbes’ best teams have won with offense over defense, but this year’s Demon Deacons have made their living by getting stops. Despite key pieces returning from a team that averaged 78.5 points per game and ranked among the top 25 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency rating, the Demon Deacons have struggled to score. They now average just 71.4 points per game and are 184th in efficiency.
The drastic difference, year-to-year, in Wake Forests’ offense is tied primarily to two things — 3-point shooting and turnovers. After knocking down 36.4% of its triples from a year ago, Wake Forest is making them at just a 28.2% rate this year. And in turnover rate, Wake Forest ranks 164th after ranking 72nd a year ago.
But prior to losing two in a row to Duke and Louisville, Wake Forest had ripped off six wins in a row to climb to the No. 4 spot in the ACC standings and did it with defense. Forbes’ club allowed its opponents to score more than 72 points just once during their six-game winning streak, and even in losses to the Blue Devils and Cardinals, Wake Forest didn’t allow more than 72 points.
Pitt’s offense has been its calling card this season, and now it will have to contend with a unit that’s been just as good, especially lately. When the Panthers have the ball, the game will be decided. Long scoring droughts have been their downfall in losses, and the Panthers will have to keep the scoring steady to emerge from Winston-Salem, N.C., with a win.
First Published: January 31, 2025, 3:13 p.m.
Updated: February 1, 2025, 3:23 a.m.
