# 2023–24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Demon Deacons were led by fourth-year head coach Steve Forbes and played their home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Demon Deacons started the season 1–1, defeating Elon and losing to Georgia before participating in the Charleston Classic. They ended up in sixth place in the tournament after losing to Utah in the opening round and LSU in overtime in the fifth place game. From there, the Demon Deacons went on a six game winning streak defeating five non-Power 7 foes and Florida in the ACC–SEC Challenge. Their hot streak continued as they won their first three ACC games. The team cooled off and only one two of their next six games with losses against rivals NC State and rivals North Carolina who were ranked third at the time. The team then reversed their fortunes and won five of their next seven games, with the only two losses coming against ninth-ranked Duke and twenty-first ranked Virginia. During that streak, they avenged the rivalry loss to NC State and defeated then eighth-ranked Duke. The team could not carry that momentum through the final four games of the season as they lost three of those games. Their only win came on the final day of the season against Clemson.
The Demon Deacons finished the season 21–14 overall and 11–9 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. After winning both tiebreakers, they were awarded the fifth seed in the ACC tournament. They received a bye into the Second Round where they defeated twelfth seed Notre Dame, avenging a loss from the regular season. They lost to fourth seed Pittsburgh in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament and were a first seed. They defeated Appalachian State in the First Round before losing to fourth-seed Georgia in the Second Round to end their season.

## Previous season

The Demon Deacons finished 2022–23 season finished the season 19–14, 10–10 in ACC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As the ninth seed in the ACC tournament they defeated Syracuse before losing to Miami in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Lucas Taylor | 0 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Sophomore | Wake Forest, NC | Transferred to Georgia State |
| Tyree Appleby | 1 | G | 6'1" | 165 | GS Senior | Jacksonville, AR | Graduated/signed to play professionally in France with Limoges CSP |
| Daivien Williamson | 4 | G | 6'1" | 180 | GS Senior | Winston-Salem, NC | Graduated |
| Robert McCray | 13 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Sophomore | Columbia, SC | Transferred to Jacksonville |
| Davion Bradford | 20 | F | 7'0" | 270 | Junior | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to New Mexico State |
| Bobi Klintman | 34 | F | 6'10" | 225 | Freshman | Malmö, Sweden | Signed to play professionally in Australia with Cairns Taipans |
| Xiaolong Xu | 45 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Junior | Beijing, China | Walk-on; not on team roster |
| Grant van Beveren | 52 | F | 6'6" | 215 | Senior | Alpharetta, GA | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Kevin Miller | 0 | G | 6'0" | 165 | Junior | Chicago, IL | Central Michigan |
| Efton Reid | 4 | C | 7'0" | 240 | Junior | Richmond, VA | Gonzaga |
| Abramo Canka | 10 | G/F | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Genoa, Italy | UCLA |
| Hunter Sallis | 23 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Junior | Omaha, NE | Gonzaga |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Aaron Clark #25 SG | Easton, PA | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 24, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Marqus Marion #47 SF | Skovlunde, Denmark | BMS Herlev | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Feb 7, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Parker Friedrichsen #16 SG | Bixby, OK | Bixby | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Feb 20, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Wake Forest Demon Deacons". ESPN.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Juke Harris #23 SG | Salisbury, NC | Salisbury High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 24, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Wake Forest Demon Deacons". ESPN.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2023* 1:00 p.m. | | No. 24 Alabama | W 88–80 | – | 28 – Hildreth | 10 – Carr | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (2,679) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Elon | W 101–78 | 1–0 | 33 – Hildreth | 9 – Carr | 5 – Hildreth | LJVM Coliseum (6,641) Winston-Salem, NC |
| November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia | L 77–80 | 1–1 | 22 – Miller | 8 – Tied | 7 – Miller | Stegeman Coliseum (8,176) Athens, GA |
| November 16, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Utah Charleston Classic quarterfinals | L 70–77 | 1–2 | 20 – Sallis | 6 – Friedrichsen | 3 – Miller | TD Arena (2,745) Charleston, SC |
| November 17, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Towson Charleston Classic consolation 2nd round | W 71–61 | 2–2 | 25 – Miller | 8 – Carr | 3 – Tied | TD Arena (3,029) Charleston, SC |
| November 19, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. LSU Charleston Classic 5th Place Game | L 80–86 $^{OT}$ | 2–3 | 22 – Sallis | 9 – Tied | 8 – Miller | TD Arena (2,753) Charleston, SC |
| November 24, 2023* 1:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Charleston Southern | W 71–56 | 3–3 | 21 – Hildreth | 10 – Carr | 3 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (6,702) Winston-Salem, NC |
| November 29, 2023* 7:15 p.m., ESPNU | | Florida ACC–SEC Challenge | W 82–71 | 4–3 | 24 – Sallis | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (8,165) Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 6, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Rutgers | W 76–57 | 5–3 | 23 – Miller | 14 – Reid III | 6 – Hildreth | LJVM Coliseum (7,692) Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 9, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | NJIT | W 83–59 | 6–3 | 19 – Friedrichsen | 6 – Tied | 6 – Miller | LJVM Coliseum (7,224) Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 18, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Delaware State | W 88–59 | 7–3 | 19 – Sallis | 11 – Carr | 5 – Miller | LJVM Coliseum (6,423) Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 21, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+ | | Presbyterian | W 91–68 | 8–3 | 21 – Carr | 9 – Carr | 7 – Miller | LJVM Coliseum (6,775) Winston-Salem, NC |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2023 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Virginia Tech | W 86–63 | 9–3 (1–0) | 20 – Sallis | 9 – Sallis | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (10,055) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Boston College | W 84–78 | 10–3 (2–0) | 21 – Sallis | 14 – Reid III | 7 – Miller | Conte Forum (4,265) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| January 6, 2024 2:15 p.m., The CW | | Miami (FL) | W 86–82 $^{OT}$ | 11–3 (3–0) | 27 – Miller | 11 – Reid III | 5 – Carr | LJVM Coliseum (8,706) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 9, 2023 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Florida State | L 82–87 | 11–4 (3–1) | 25 – Hildreth | 9 – Reid III | 5 – Miller | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (5,368) Tallahassee, FL |
| January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Virginia | W 66–47 | 12–4 (4–1) | 21 – Sallis | 12 – Carr | 7 – Miller | LJVM Coliseum (9,855) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 16, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at NC State Rivalry | L 76–83 | 12–5 (4–2) | 28 – Carr | 7 – Tied | 4 – MIller | PNC Arena (13,836) Raleigh, NC |
| January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Louisville | W 90–65 | 13–5 (5–2) | 19 – Sallis | 11 – Hildreth | 6 – Hildreth | LJVM Coliseum (9,261) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 3 North Carolina Rivalry | L 64–85 | 13–6 (5–3) | 14 – Carr | 7 – Tied | 1 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (21,175) Chapel Hill, NC |
| January 31, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Pittsburgh | L 72–77 | 13–7 (5–4) | 22 – Sallis | 10 – Reid III | 3 – Sallis | Petersen Events Center (7,769) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 3, 2023 7:45 p.m., The CW | | Syracuse | W 99–70 | 14–7 (6–4) | 24 – Sallis | 12 – Hildreth | 5 – Sallis | LJVM Coliseum (11,412) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Georgia Tech | W 80–51 | 15–7 (7–4) | 17 – Hildreth | 10 – Carr | 4 – Hildreth | McCamish Pavilion (4,239) Atlanta, GA |
| February 10, 2024 4:00 p.m., ACCN | | NC State Rivalry | W 83–79 | 16–7 (8–4) | 33 – Sallis | 7 – Carr | 6 – Miller | LJVM Coliseum (12,571) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 9 Duke | L 69–77 | 16–8 (8–5) | 22 – Sallis | 7 – Miller | 4 – Sallis | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| February 17, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 21 Virginia | L 47–49 | 16–9 (8–6) | 12 – Sallis | 12 – Reid III | 4 – Hildreth | John Paul Jones Arena (14,637) Charlottesville, VA |
| February 20, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Pittsburgh | W 91–58 | 17–9 (9–6) | 18 – Miller | 8 – Carr | 5 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (7,448) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 8 Duke | W 83–79 | 18–9 (10–6) | 29 – Sallis | 6 – Sallis | 5 – Miller | LJVM Coliseum (14,744) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 27, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Notre Dame | L 65–70 | 18–10 (10–7) | 16 – Miller | 10 – Reid III | 5 – Miller | Joyce Center (4,698) South Bend, IN |
| March 2, 2023 5:30 p.m., The CW | | at Virginia Tech | L 76–87 | 18–11 (10–8) | 21 – Miller | 9 – Reid III | 6 – Miller | Cassell Coliseum (8,925) Blacksburg, VA |
| March 5, 2024 9:00 p.m., ACCN | | Georgia Tech | L 69–70 | 18–12 (10–9) | 22 – Sallis | 6 – Reid III | 3 – Sallis | LVJM Coliseum (7,481) Winston-Salem, NC |
| March 9, 2024 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Clemson | W 81–76 | 19–12 (11–9) | 22 – Sallis | 7 – Tied | 4 – Sallis | LJVM Coliseum (12,288) Winston-Salem, NC |
| ACC tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 2:30 p.m., ESPN | (5) | vs. (12) Notre Dame Second Round | W 72–59 | 20–12 | 17 – Miller | 11 – Carr | 5 – Reid III | Capital One Arena (9,920) Washington, D.C. |
| March 14, 2024 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (5) | vs. (4) Pittsburgh Quarterfinals | L 69–81 | 20–13 | 23 – Hildreth | 9 – Carr | 4 – Sallis | Capital One Arena (14,920) Washington, D.C. |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 20, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (1) | Appalachian State First Round - Wake Forest Bracket | W 87–76 | 21–13 | 31 – Miller | 12 – Reid III | 3 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (6,733) Winston-Salem, NC |
| March 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (1) | (4) Georgia Second Round - Wake Forest Bracket | L 66–72 | 21–14 | 31 – Carr | 11 – Carr | 3 – Reid III | LJVM Coliseum (4,772) Winston-Salem, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | — | — |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | RV | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.