Virginia Cavaliers vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, 2/26/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Virginia Cavaliers vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Location: LJVM Coliseum in Boise, ID

TV: ESPN+

LJVM Coliseum is the site where the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-8) will try to defeat the Virginia Cavaliers (13-14) on Wednesday.

The Virginia Cavaliers took the court against North Carolina and ended up losing by a score of 81-66 in their last game. Virginia ended the contest having earned a 45.3% FG percentage (24 out of 53) and made 6 out of their 22 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Cavaliers made 12 of their 13 tries for a percentage of 92.3%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they compiled 21 with 3 of them being offensive. They also recorded 11 assists in this game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When it comes to the defense, Virginia allowed the other team to go 48.2% from the field on 27 of 56 shooting. North Carolina earned 13 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. In addition, North Carolina pulled down 31 boards (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. North Carolina finished the game shooting 81.8% from the free throw line by making 18 of their 22 tries. They also made 9 of their 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Concerning personal fouls, the Cavaliers finished with 19 and North Carolina recorded 12 personal fouls.

Isaac McKneely is someone who had an impact for this game. He finished the contest at 41.7% from the field and also distributed 4 dimes. He played 36 minutes played and also grabbed 1 rebound. He recorded 17 points on 5 out of 12 shooting.

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Virginia steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 13-14 so far this year. They are averaging 64.5 points per outing (355th in Division 1) while shooting 44.6% from the field. The Cavaliers are connecting on 37.3% on shots from 3-point land (225 of 604) and 75.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Virginia is pulling in 30.0 boards per contest and has racked up 409 dimes for the year, which is 112th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 10.0 times per contest and as a team they commit 14.9 personal fouls every game.

On defense, the Cavaliers are forcing their opponents into 9.4 turnovers every game and they draw 13.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 53rd in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 319 relinquished this year. The Cavaliers defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 43.4% (633 of 1,458) and they surrender 32.5 rebounds per contest as a team. They are giving up 35.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 34th in college hoops in opponents PPG (66.1).

The last time they took the court, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-73 when they played North Carolina State. The Demon Deacons pulled down 18 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 25 in the matchup. They also coughed it up 11 times, while getting 4 steals in the game. North Carolina State was called for 24 fouls for this game which took the Demon Deacons to the free throw line for a total of 34 attempts. They were able to knock down 27 of those for a clip of 79.4%. When discussing shots from distance, Wake Forest buried 2 out of 9 tries (22.2%). When the final whistle was blown, the Demon Deacons ended up shooting 22 for 53 from the field which gave them a rate of 41.5%. The Demon Deacons allowed North Carolina State to make 29 of their 58 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.0% for the game. They finished 40.6% from 3-point land by connecting on 13 of 32 and finished the contest at 14 out of 17 at the free throw line (82.4%). When discussing cleaning the glass, Wake Forest permitted North Carolina State to snag 35 overall (11 offensive).

Cameron Hildreth ended up being a factor for the Demon Deacons in this contest. He scored 16 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and added 3 dimes in this game. He knocked down 5 of 12 for this contest giving him a rate of 41.7%, and had 4 rebounds.

Wake Forest has a record of 19-8 for the year. The Demon Deacons commit 16.7 fouls every game and they shoot 75.1% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 11.7 times per contest (316th in college) and they turn it over 11.4 times per game. Wake Forest has tallied 1,909 pts so far this season (70.7 per game) and they average 33.1 rebounds per contest. In terms of offensive execution, the Demon Deacons are shooting 45.1% from the floor, which is 164th in the nation.

The Demon Deacons on defense are ranked 58th in the country in points per game surrendered with 67.4. They are able to force 13.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.7% from the field (18th in the country). The Wake Forest defense surrenders 30.4% on 3-point attempts (218 of 717) and their opponents are converting on 77.6% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 13.3 dimes and 35.1 boards per contest, which ranks 200th and 228th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Virginia

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