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Had to win yesterday, Wake Forest. Immense pressure on them. Lose and they would be out of March Madness. Win and keep breathing for another day, until tomorrow against Pitt.
They came through, 72-59, over Notre Dame. Guts they showed.
The formula to win tomorrow and this entire tournament is to first get the ball inside to Efton Reid and Andrew Carr (12 points and 11 rebounds and awarded player of the game) and let them operate. Good things happen. They either score, get fouled or kick out to teammates for open shots. This is their key advantage. Two big guys who can score and pass. No more firing up threes as a strategy and hoping they go in; that’s a recipe for losing.
Boopie Miller booped in 17 points and added 7 rebounds – remarkable because he was the shortest guy on the court.
Wake played with commitment, energy, and focus defensively. Going into the game today they knew one thing had to happen. Stop super guard Markus Burton from dominating the game. He still scored 21 but they made him work for it. Job well done. Took guts.
From unexpected players Wake got help. Parking Lot stole the ball twice and contributed a Parking Lot 3 in the second half, and Cam Stamina also had a big steal and key second-half points. Don’t you dig Parking Lot and Stamina? Zach Keller came in and showed spunk on defense and made a couple of free throws. Good for him. With the stakes high he came through and no one expected that.
Now what?
Tomorrow at 2:30 they play Pitt. According to Joey Brackets, Wake is the last four out right now and Pitt is the next four out. In other words, both teams must win tomorrow to help their chances of getting a bid to March Madness. Only one will.
It will be Wake. But this is not the whole story. Wake will play Carolina in the semifinals of this tournament. The world doesn’t expect Wake to win but they will.
Then in the finals, they’ll beat Duke.
We’re just getting started.
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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