# 2020–21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represented Wake Forest University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Demon Deacons were led by first-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 finished the season 6–16, 3–15 in ACC play, to finish in fourteenth place. They lost to Notre Dame in the first round of the ACC tournament. They were not invited to either the NCAA tournament or NIT.

## Previous season

The Demon Deacons finished 2019–20 season 13–17, 6–14 in ACC play to finish in a tie for 13th place. They lost to Pittsburgh in the first round of the ACC tournament. The tournament was cancelled before the Quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA tournament and NIT were also cancelled due to the pandemic.
After the season head coach Danny Manning was fired after six seasons, where he posted a 78–111 record. On April 30, 2020, the Demon Deacons hired Steve Forbes as his replacement.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Brandon Childress | 0 | G | 6'0" | 195 | Senior | Winston-Salem, NC | Graduated |
| Sharone Wright Jr. | 2 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Sophomore | Florence, SC | Transferred to Morgan State |
| Torry Johnson | 11 | G | 6'3" | 175 | Graduate Student | Chicago, IL | Graduated |
| Andrien White | 13 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Richmond, VA | Graduated |
| Michael Wynn | 20 | G | 6'6" | 210 | Sophomore | Albany, NY | Entered transfer portal |
| Chaundee Brown | 23 | G | 6'5" | 220 | Junior | Orlando, FL | Transferred to Michigan |
| Olivier Sarr | 30 | C | 7'0" | 255 | Junior | Toulouse, France | Transferred to Kentucky |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jalen Johnson | 2 | G | 6'6" | 195 | Graduate Student | Durham, NC | Tennessee |
| Daivien Williamson | 4 | G | 6'2" | 170 | Junior | Winston-Salem, NC | ETSU |
| Ian DuBose | 11 | G | 6'4" | 225 | Graduate Student | Durham, NC | Houston Baptist |
| Jonah Antonio | 20 | G | 6'5" | 195 | Graduate Student | Perth, Australia | UNLV |
| Isaiah Wilkins | 23 | G | 6'4" | 220 | Junior | Winston-Salem, NC | Virginia Tech |

### 2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Marcus Watson Jr. PG | Chicago, IL | Morgan Park High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Aug 20, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Jaylon Gibson PF | Raleigh, NC | Grace Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 2, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Djimon Bailey SG | Raleigh, NC | Grace Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 6, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Quadry Adams PG | Edison, NJ | St. Thomas Aquinas | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 8, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| 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. "2020 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 |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 4:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Delaware State | W 111–51 | 1–0 | 19 – Ingraham | 7 – Johnson | 4 – DuBose | LJVM Coliseum (0) Winston-Salem, NC |
| November 27, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | Longwood | W 71–60 | 2–0 | 14 – Tied | 4 – DuBose | 5 – DuBose | LJVM Coliseum (0) Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 2, 2020* | | Troy | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 13, 2020* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Presbyterian | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 16, 2020 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | No. 17 Virginia | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 21, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | VMI | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 30, 2020 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Syracuse | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, NC |
| December 31, 2020* 3:00 p.m., ACCN | | Catawba | W 70–62 | 3–0 | 15 – Williamson | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (77) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 3, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Georgia Tech | L 54–70 | 3–1 (0–1) | 24 – Mucius | 5 – Tied | 4 – Williamson | McCamish Pavilion (1,200) Atlanta, GA |
| January 6, 2021 9:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | at No. 22 Virginia | L 61–70 | 3–2 (0–2) | 14 – Tied | 7 – Mucius | 4 – Williamson | John Paul Jones Arena (250) Charlottesville, VA |
| January 9, 2021 12:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 21 Duke | L 68–79 | 3–3 (0–3) | 17 – Tied | 8 – Massoud | 3 – Whitt | Cameron Indoor Stadium (0) Durham, NC |
| January 13, 2021 8:30 p.m., ACCN | | No. 16 Louisville | L 65–77 | 3–4 (0–4) | 19 – Williamson | 8 – Mucius | 4 – Williamson | LJVM Coliseum (71) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 17, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | No. 20 Virginia Tech | L 60–64 | 3–5 (0–5) | 12 – Massoud | 6 – Mucius | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (89) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 20, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at North Carolina | L 73–80 | 3–6 (0–6) | 27 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Williamson | Dean Smith Center (0) Chapel Hill, NC |
| January 23, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | Pittsburgh | W 76–75 | 4–6 (1–6) | 31 – Massoud | 10 – Oguama | 8 – Williamson | LJVM Coliseum (79) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 27, 2021 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | at NC State Rivalry | L 67–72 | 4–7 (1–7) | 22 – Williamson | 7 – Massoud | 3 – Neath | PNC Arena (25) Raleigh, NC |
| January 30, 2021 2:00 p.m., ACCN | | Miami (FL) | W 66–54 | 5–7 (2–7) | 16 – Williamson | 12 – Oguama | 3 – Neath | LJVM Coliseum (82) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 2, 2021 5:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Notre Dame | L 58–79 | 5–8 (2–8) | 14 – Mucius | 6 – Oguama | 4 – Williamson | Purcell Pavilion (123) Notre Dame, IN |
| February 10, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Boston College | W 69–65 | 6–8 (3–8) | 17 – DuBose | 10 – Oguama | 3 – DuBose | Conte Forum (0) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| February 13, 2021 12:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | at No. 17 Florida State | L 85–92 $^{OT}$ | 6–9 (3–9) | 23 – Antonio | 8 – Antonio | 5 – DuBose | Donald L. Tucker Center (2,950) Tallahassee, FL |
| February 17, 2021 8:30 p.m., ACCN | | Duke | L 60–84 | 6–10 (3–10) | 14 – Oguama | 8 – DuBose | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (102) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 20, 2021 2:00 p.m., ACCRSN | | NC State | L 62–80 | 6–11 (3–11) | 14 – DuBose | 5 – Massoud | 2 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (116) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 24, 2021 4:30 p.m., ACCN | | Clemson | L 39–60 | 6–12 (3–12) | 16 – Williamson | 4 – Tied | 2 – Whitt | LJVM Coliseum (70) Winston-Salem, NC |
| February 27, 2021 12:00 p.m., ACCN | | at No. 16 Virginia Tech | L 46–84 | 6–13 (3–13) | 12 – Antonio | 7 – Oguama | 4 – Williamson | Cassell Coliseum (250) Blacksburg, VA |
| March 2, 2021 6:00 p.m., ACCN | | at Pittsburgh | L 57–70 | 6–14 (3–14) | 17 – Williamson | 7 – DuBose | 4 – Williamson | Petersen Events Center (500) Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 5, 2021 8:00 p.m., ACCN | | Georgia Tech | L 63–75 | 6–15 (3–15) | 18 – DuBose | 5 – Massoud | 4 – Whitt | LJVM Coliseum (1,229) Winston-Salem, NC |
| ACC tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., ACCN | (14) | vs. (11) Notre Dame First round | L 77–80 | 6–16 | 21 – Williamson | 12 – Mucius | 7 – Whitt | Greensboro Coliseum (2,820) Greensboro, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: — = Not ranked :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.