Bet Wake Forest Basketball | Demon Deacons to Still Make NCAA Tournament

Two of North Carolina's powerhouses are locks for the NCAA tournament, as UNC and Duke are destined for high seeds in March.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest sits squarely on the bubble.

After defeating Duke on February 24, it seemed like the Deacs all but locked up their bid for the NCAA tournament. But that hasn’t been the case, as Wake has lost two straight since its lone Quad 1 victory, including a disappointing loss at Notre Dame.

Because of this recent skid, now is the time to bet on Wake to make the tournament. Below, we’ll discuss why you should buy the Demon Deacons before you take a look at their profile in March Madness on North Carolina betting apps.

Wake Forest's Profile

Analytically speaking, an at-large resume doesn’t get much more attractive than Wake Forest's. Despite its recent slide, Wake Forest is still slotting in as the 21st-ranked team in the country in Adjusted Efficiency, via KenPom.

Additionally, Bart Torvik has Wake as the 14th-best team in Adjusted Efficiency in his Last 10 Games Played metric.

As of March 4, Wake Forest still ranks 31st in the latest NET rankings with seven Quad 1 and 2 wins, and three of those wins came against the projected NCAA field.

So, what’s the discrepancy between Wake’s fantastic analytical profile and its meager 18-11 record with just one Quad 1 win?

For starters, Wake ranks 352nd out of 362 Division I teams in KenPom’s luck metric, which measures the “deviation between a team’s actual winning percentage and what one would expect from its game-by-game efficiencies.”

Generally, there can be variance in close games, and a team involved in a lot of close games should neither win nor lose a lot, but fall somewhere in the middle. However, Wake is just 4-6 in games decided by six points or less, losing a number of heartbreakers.

As the committee shifts towards a more analytical approach, it’ll benefit teams like Wake Forest that have played a bevy of NCAA tournament-caliber squads and have generated gaudy numbers from a number of separate metric systems.

Wake Forest's Roster Construction

Not only does Wake pass the analytical test, but most of the time, Wake passes the eye test.

The Deacs’ best player — Hunter Sallis — has been arguably college basketball’s best transfer portal acquisition.

Sallis is a lethal combo guard who can create his shot with ease.

Sallis has proven time after time that he’s more than capable of taking over a game.

Boopie Miller has proven to be one of the country’s best “1B” options, as he’s had plenty of games where he’s overtaken the role as a lead scorer for Sallis.

Moreover, Cameron Hildreth rounds out one of the most underrated backcourts in America. Hildreth has proven he’s a top-tier glue guy. He can create on his own, space the floor (shooting 36.6% from 3) and consistently guards the opposition’s best perimeter player.

To complement their strong guard play, Wake has Andrew Carr, another gem in the transfer portal that head coach Steve Forbes was able to snatch from Delaware. Carr is a prototypical stretch four that can take smaller bigs into the post.

Alongside Carr is Efton Reid III, who's a big reason for Wake’s breakthrough.

Reid was inserted into the starting lineup in December and has helped bring rim protection and top-tier athleticism to a team that desperately needed it in its frontcourt.

As we near the ACC tournament, Wake Forest has an experienced and strong backcourt that you can trust in March.

The addition of Reid in Wake’s starting lineup has given it an entirely new feel in conference play.

Wake Forest Weak Spot

Note how earlier in the article, I detailed that Wake passes the eye test “most of the time.” If there’s a weak spot on its resume, it’s hard to overlook its 2-9 road record.

Wake has been a different team away from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, as it's allowing nearly 75 points per game in road ACC contests.

But in the end, it may not matter that much.

It seems like we say this every year, but the reality is with an expanded 68-team field, the bubble proves to be incredibly soft each year.

Here's a glimpse of other bubble teams’ road records:

• Utah: 2-7
• New Mexico: 5-5
• Florida Atlantic: 4-5
• Colorado: 2-7
• Seton Hall: 5-6
• Villanova: 4-7
• Providence: 3-7
• St. John’s: 4-6

I mean there’s a reason these teams are on the bubble. They all have certain shortcomings on their resumes that the committee will need to weigh, and when you stack up Wake’s analytical profile — coupled with its recent play with Reid — I love its chances to snag an at-large in less than two weeks.

Golden Opportunity to End the Regular Season

To put the cherry on top, Wake will put an end to its regular season campaign with a golden opportunity at home against Clemson, which currently slots in as a five-seed in ESPN Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projection on Saturday, March 9.

The Tigers currently rank as the 25th team in the latest NET Rankings — as long as Clemson holds in the 30th ranked spot or below, it will rank as a Quad 1 opportunity for the Deacs. Win and you’re probably in (barring a disaster against Georgia Tech).

As of right now, there's still a lot of potential movement for seeding in the ACC tournament. Wake currently holds the seven-seed but could thrust itself as high as the four-seed (which would result in the juicy double-bye).

Wake Forest will more than likely have the chance to pick up another Quad 1 opportunity. Five teams — UNC, Duke, Clemson, Pittsburgh and Virginia — fall within the top 50 in the latest NET rankings (Virginia Tech right on the outside).

Play one of those teams and you have another Quad 1 opportunity on a neutral floor.

The Bet: Wake Forest to Make the Tournament — Yes -200

When in doubt, it’s never a bad thing to trust Coach Forbes in March.

Last season, the Deacs had been playing their best basketball towards the end of the year and were on the cusp of upsetting the ACC's No. 1 seed and a future Final Four team in Miami in the quarterfinals as they fell 74-72.

With Forbes’ offensive prowess — coupled with Wake’s playmaking in their backcourt — they’ll be a tough matchup for anyone.

Not only does Wake Forest have the analytical profile of a mid-tier seed, but they have the perfect opportunity to seal their fate as at-large in their season finale against Clemson at home, where they're 15-0 this season.

Although it’s pretty decently favored, now is the time to buy the slight dip in the Deacs amidst this recent skid. These guys pass the eye and smell test of an NCAA tournament team.