Duke basketball: Predicting every win and loss this season
By Matt Giles
Game 17: Duke basketball at Wake Forest
The Duke Blue Devils will play at the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, unranked to start the year, on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. ET (ACCN) in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Duke has lost to Wake Forest only twice in the past 23 meetings. Heck, even the 2020-21 Blue Devils beat the Demon Deacons twice without much trouble.
However, the most recent loss in Winston-Salem, N.C., a 113-101 defeat in 2019-20 to a team that finished 13-18 overall, should serve as a reminder to Mike Krzyzewski and his guys that they should never take these Tobacco Road foes too lightly.
In the first year under Steve Forbes, Wake Forest tallied a 6-16 overall record last season and wound up No. 14 in the ACC standings. Although the Demon Deacons return their top 2020-21 scorer in senior point guard Daivien Williamson and welcome a skilled transfer in power forward Jake LaRavia, they shouldn’t boast enough talent to frighten Duke.
Predicted final score: Duke 81, Wake Forest 63
The Blue Devils improve to 15-2 overall (5-1 ACC) on the season.