NC State, Wake Forest enter ACC play with plenty to prove

Wake Forest and North Carolina State have much more than just identical records in common going into their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

Both teams have a lot to prove in league play, so there's no better time to get to work on that than Wednesday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C.

"We've got 18 of these left and we've obviously got to play a lot better," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said.

Even though NC State is coming off a victory against Ole Miss, that won't alleviate the pressure on coach Will Wade's team.

"There's zero relief," Wade said. "We've got 18 league games, so there's no relief."

NC State (9-4) was ranked in the AP poll prior to Thanksgiving before consecutive losses against Texas and Auburn.

Wake Forest (9-4) is coming off a 98-67 home loss to then-No. 13 Vanderbilt on Dec. 21.

"You have to block that out and just play the next game. Keep trying to improve and get better," Forbes said.

There's heightened urgency for the Demon Deacons to put together a strong conference record after too many disappointing early-season results.

"We left some obviously important opportunities on the table," Forbes said. "We didn't take care of that in the nonconference. ... That does put you behind. I thought we needed to at least be 10-3. (A record of) 9-4 is not where it needs to be, especially losing two at home."

Wednesday's outing will mark a return to ACC play for NC State guard Quadir Copeland, who began his collegiate career with two seasons at Syracuse before a one-season stop at McNeese State. He's averaging a career-best 14.1 points per game for the Wolfpack.

"He's got an unbelievable level of persistence to him. He's been great," Wade said. " ... I think we're getting everything we can out of him."

This will be Wake Forest's first true road game. Forbes has been concerned about what he has called a lack of competitiveness when things go awry.

"That's something that I definitely have to come to terms with and figure out," he said.

The Demon Deacons' top scorer is guard Juke Harris at 19.9 points per game. He scored in double figures four times in ACC play last season as a freshman, producing a season-high 17 points vs. NC State.

Wade might be tightening playing time and shortening his bench after using nine players in the Ole Miss game, with two of those players logging less than eight minutes.