GETTING INSIDE

Maybe getting to No. 1 last January wasn’t so hot for Wake Forest.

After rising to the top spot in the polls, the Demon Deacons struggled the rest of the way and then were one of the most notable upset victims in the NCAA tournament with a first-round loss to Cleveland State.

This season, the Deacons dropped a home game to William & Mary to end November and then lost on the road at Purdue to start off December.

There’s no shame in an 11-point, hard-fought loss to the Boilermakers, of course, but it is rather disturbing to add up the Deacons’ wins and losses since last January.

After winning their first 16 games of the 2008-09 season, they are 12-9 since.

The loss to William & Mary has to be particularly galling.

The Tribe came into the game having lost two of five games, though it had won its previous three games. But 35 percent doomed the Deacons, who hare not known for their impeccable shot selection.

For some reason, they fell in love with the three-pointer but made only 10-of-36 shots from behind the arc.

“When we shot 13 at the half, I said we were shooting too many threes,” coach Dino Gaudio said. “Once again we have to know who we are.”

To their credit, the Deacons were back to going inside in the ensuing loss to the Boilermakers, taking only eight three-pointers and making four.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Freshman G C.J. Harris and F Ari Stewart have been part of coach Dino Gaudio’s rotation and responded well in the early season. Harris was selected ACC Rookie of the Week after scoring 33 points in Wake Forest’s games against Winston-Salem and William & Mary. Stewart wasn’t as flashy, but scored 13 points against Winston-Salem. Harris had 14 points in the loss at Purdue and Stewart had nine.

• Wake Forest earned high praises for its class of two years ago, and the five signees from November aren’t all that far behind. The Deacons added Carson Desrosier, a 6-11 center from Lawrence, Mass.; Travis McKie, a 6-6 forward from Richmond, Va.; J.T. Terrell, a 6-3 guard from Charlotte, N.C.; Melvin Tabb, a 6-8 forward from Raleigh, N.C., and Tony Chennault, a 6-1 point guard from Philadelphia in the early period.

Key Early-season Conference Game:   at Miami, Jan. 9—The Demon Deacons got off to a hot start last season, but they didn’t impress the Hurricanes. Their worst loss of the season, a 27-point whipping, came in Coral Gables.

Last Year  ‘S CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-5, tied for second in the ACC.

Quote To Note:   “I’m not happy with the loss, but this business is all about dealing with adversity and getting back to work, and that’s what we’ll do tomorrow.”—Coach Dino Gaudio, after the home loss to William & Mary.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

What We Learned In November:   Wake Forest looks like a team that is going to break the hearts of its fans. The Demon Deacons look strong at times, but they can be erratic and need someone to come off the bench to give G Ish Smith breaks from time to time.

December At A Glance:   The Deacons have an early conference game at home against N.C. State on Dec. 20. They can’t let this one get away because they have only two conference games at home in January.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—F Al-Farouq Aminu, F Tony Woods, C Chas McFarland, G L.D. Williams, G Ishmael Smith. Key Subs—F David Weaver, F Ari Stewart, G C.J. Harris, G Gary Clark.

Roster Report:  

• Sophomore C Ty Walker was not permitted to board the chartered flight to West Lafayette, Ind., for the game against Purdue because he did not have the required proper identification, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

• G Gary Clark, who missed the first five games while recovering from mononucleosis, was in uniform and on the bench for the game against Purdue but did not play.

• Sophomore G Konner Tucker played five minutes against William & Mary and scored six points after sitting out the previous game because of an undisclosed injury. He played one minute and was scoreless at Purdue.