William & Mary vs Wake Forest Picks, Odds and Spread (Nov. 10)
- Wake Forest is a 14.5-point home favorite against William & Mary at 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, on the ACC Network
- Wake lost its final eight games last season, going 2-6 ATS
- William & Mary returns four starters from a 7-10 team
Wake Forest is a 14.5-point home favorite against Colonial Athletic Association foe William & Mary in the season opener for both at 7:00 pm ET, Wednesday, on the ACC network. The teams last met in 2012, when Wake won 63-57 as a 6.5-point home favorite.
William & Mary was the first unranked, non-BCS opponent to win at Wake Forest’s Joel Coliseum when it pulled off a 78-68 upset as a 16-point dog on Nov. 28, 2009. The Tribe will open on the road for the 13th time in the last 15 years.
William & Mary vs Wake Forest Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| William & Mary Tribe | +920 | +14.5 (-104) | Over 142.5 (-115) |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | -1700 | -14.5 (-118) | Under 142.2 (-105) |
Odds from FanDuel on Nov. 9
Wake Forest has not played in the NCAA Tournament since a First Four loss to Kansas State in 2017 as a No. 11 seed. The Demon Deacons have won 17 ACC games in the last four seasons and were 6-16 overall, 3-15 in league play, a year ago, coach Steve Forbes’ first after a 30-4 season at East Tennessee State.
Both teams lost games to COVID-19 a year ago. Wake had a month-long Covid stoppage after playing its first two games, and the Tribe had a nearly three-week pause in February.
Wake Bulks Up
Wake Forest returns three double-digit scores led by senior guard Davien Williamson, who averaged 12.9 points per game after following Forbes from ETSU. Williamson is the eighth-leading returning scorer in the ACC and is a career 37.6-percent shooter from three-point range.
Six’-foot-eight Isaiah Mucius, who averaged 10.3 points per game a year ago and had a 20-12 game in the ACC tournament, will receive frontcourt help from transfers Jake LaRavia, Dallas Walton, and Khadim Sy. Oklahoma graduate transfer Alondes Williams adds guard depth.
LaRavia, 6’8 from Indiana State, figures to be an immediate offensive contributor for a team that shot an ACC-low 41.0 percent from the field out of its motion offense a year ago.
Walton, a seven-foot post player, missed two of his first three seasons at Colorado because of knee injuries and never became a regular contributor, but he averaged 6.5 points while shooting 55.0 percent from the field last season. Sy, 6’10, averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first season at Ole Miss in 2019-20, but played only 14 games for the Rebels last year.
LaRavia had 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and four blocked shots in an 88-56 exhibition victory over Winston-Salem State on Friday. Williams had 16 points, with two three-pointers and two dunks.
Back on Track
William & Mary, like most Colonial Athletic Association schools, had a stop-and-start 2020-21 because of COVID-19 issues and injuries. The Tribe had a two-week pause after their first game and played only two games between Jan. 21 and Mar. 6.
Six-foot-four sophomore guard Connor Kochera was the fourth player in team history to be named the CAA Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.4 points and 4.8 rebounds last season; and his scoring ticked up in conference play, to 15.4. He was a second-team pick on the preseason all-league team.
The Tribe lost leading scorer Luke Loewe (16.2 points per game), who transferred to Minnesota, but return five other contributors, including 6’1 guard Yuri Covington, 6’7 forward Quinn Blair and 6’9 forward Mehkel Harvey. Florida Southern graduate transfer 6’7 Brandon Carroll is expected to make an impact.
Blair average 11.7 points, and 5.7 rebounds a year ago and Harvey led the team in rebounding (6.0) and blocked shots (41) off the bench.
By the Numbers
Wake Forest is rated 103rd in the preseason KenPom rankings, ahead of only Boston College and Pitt among ACC teams. William & Mary is 269th, above only UNC Wilmington in the ACC.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge basketball matchups:
Iowa @ Virginia
ND @ Illinois
Duke @ Ohio St
Clemson @ Rutgers
FSU @ Purdue
Indiana @ Cuse
Michigan @ UNC
NW @ Wake Forest
Ville @ Michigan St
VA Tech @ Maryland
Minn @ Pitt
Wisconsin @ GA Tech
Miami @ PSU
Nebraska @ NC State— Marky Futures (@MarkyFutures) November 2, 2021
Wake was 14th among the 15 ACC teams in points per game, turnover margin, assist/turnover ratio, and blocked shots a year ago.
The Tribe was picked to finish last in the ten-team CAA in a preseason poll of coaches, media, and sports information directors.
The pick: William & Mary +14.5 (-104)
Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
