Men’s Basketball: Previewing Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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No. 13 Vanderbilt (11-0) continued its dominant opening stretch to the season with a 77-70 overtime win over Memphis (4-6) on Wednesday night. Graduate guard Duke Miles led the way with 22 points, and the Commodores survived a second-half comeback to remain undefeated.  Vanderbilt has surged to its best start since the 2007-08 season, when the Commodores won their first 16 games; however, recent performances have been far from pretty. The game against Memphis saw Vanderbilt score its fewest points this year, despite going to overtime.  
This weekend, the Commodores have a chance to right the ship when they travel to Winston-Salem for a nonconference matchup against ACC opponent Wake Forest. 
Even during an 11-game win streak highlighted by plenty of dominant victories, the Commodores have shown they can execute late in close games. Against SMU, when the Mustangs pulled within 6 points with 15:46 left in the second half, the Commodores went on a 6-0 run to build separation. In the Memphis game, the Tigers crawled back to clinch overtime, but Miles scored 7 of his game-leading 22 points in the final period to secure the victory. The Commodores made 11 of their 13 free throws, including Jalen Washington going 5 for 6 and Miles going 5 for 5.  
The Demon Deacons have managed to overcome multiple late-game close calls similar to Vanderbilt. One of which was also against Memphis, who led 68-66 with only a second left on the clock. Myles Colvin managed to sink a game-winning 3-point jumper to secure a shocking victory for Wake Forest. In Wake Forest’s most recent matchup against Longwood, they managed to avoid an upset after scraping by 71-68.  Additionally, two of its three losses have come in last-minute finishes against the two strongest opponents they’ve played so far. Against No. 1 Michigan, Wake Forest fell 85-84 in overtime as Nate Calmese missed a last-second layup.  
The other loss came in the Bahr Mar Championship against No. 19 Texas Tech. While it was a neck-and-neck game, the Demon Deacons couldn’t pull away late despite leading — albeit momentarily — with 2:26 left in the game. Regardless, Wake Forest has shown it can stay competitive late against high-caliber opposition. For the Deamon Deacons to win this game, they must convert a close finish into late separation against the Commodores. For Vanderbilt, maintaining control, especially while building a lead, is paramount to avoid another Memphis scenario. However, if it does tighten, remaining efficient from the free throw line is vital for late-game execution.  
Wake Forest gets a massive advantage when playing on its home floor. The Demon Deacons have been one of the toughest teams in the country to beat at the LVJM Coliseum, posting a 68-11 home record since 2021. This is tied for the third-most home wins nationally during that period, trailing only Houston (71 wins) and Duke (69 wins). This season has followed the same trend so far; Wake Forest is 7-1 at home, with the sole loss coming against Oklahoma. The Commodores have shown they can win on the road in limited opportunities, going 2-0 away from Nashville against UCF and Memphis. If Vanderbilt can stay composed early and avoid letting the crowd fuel a Wake Forest run, it will say a lot about their ability to win away from Memorial Gymnasium.  With this being their final away game before conference play, it’s an opportunity to handle adversity in a tough environment before the SEC grind begins.  
Sophomore guard Juke Harris has emerged as the Deamon Deacons’ most prolific scorer, averaging 20.0 points per game thus far this season. He also leads the team in minutes per game with 30.0 and rebounds with 6.8 per game. Harris was a huge factor in keeping both the Michigan and Texas Tech games close, leading Wake Forest in both with 19 and 26 points, respectively. He is an extremely athletic large guard at 6’7 and 200 pounds, which allows him to be a factor in multiple facets of the game. Miles is similarly Vanderbilt’s go-to offensive driver, leading the team in points with 17.1 per game and ranking second in assists behind fellow guard Tyler Tanner. Miles has also been great defensively this season, leading the Commodores in steals and consistently disrupting ball-handlers, but at 6’2, he may be giving up a size advantage to Harris. 
Vanderbilt will face Wake Forest on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. CST in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. 
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