In a game that many saw as a must-win, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons delivered a solid performance and deservedly grabbed their first ACC victory of the season at home against the NC State Wolfpack 77-74.  The stat line will say that this game was extremely even. The score line was separated by just three points, the field goal percentage difference was just one percent and neither team had a rebounding or turnover advantage.

A big reason for Wake Forest’s success was the fact that NC State had a lower free throw percentage and did not get to the line as much as the Deacons. Wake Forest made 19-of-28 free throws while NC State only made 6-of-10. That is a 13 point difference for the Deacons which would mean a lot in this game.

Wake Forest’s Devin Thomas was tremendous once again with yet another double-double on the year. He finished the game with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the team in both categories. NC State’s Anthony Barber was terrific as well with 26 points, seven assists and three rebounds in a losing effort.

Both teams were trying to get their first ACC win and to change their fortunes in conference play. Wake Forest got the win and their season seems to be looking more and more promising. They are fully healthy after playing without Codi Miller-McIntyre for a while and they are starting to click offensively with Bryant Crawford playing the point guard position.

While shooting just 5-of-14 from the field, he contributed six assists and had no turnovers on the day. He struggled with turnovers early on in the year probably because the young freshman guard was trying to do too much on the offensive end. Now it seems that Crawford has settled in and is playing some really good basketball, which can only mean good things for Wake Forest in the future.

The upcoming ACC slate for NC State looks pretty grueling and will tell a lot about where this team is heading. They play Florida State at home, at #6 UNC and at #24 Pittsburgh. NC State will have their work cut out for them to get their first ACC win. Wake Forest plays at Virginia Tech on Wednesday followed by a home contest with Syracuse to try to boost their ACC record and NCAA Tournament resume.