The Wake Forest Demon Deacons moved to 3-1 thanks to a decisive victory over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Kevair Kennedy propelled Wake's winning effort with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, three made three-pointers, and 10 rebounds. He also went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

Gavin Placide also chipped in once again on the inside. He had 16 points and seven rebounds. Isaac Carr has also really come into his own these past few games, scoring 18 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting and adding four rebounds. It is very cool to see weapons emerge for this team offensively.

Defensive Prowess

Along with the good things this team has been doing offensively, the defense has come along quite nicely through the first four games. We saw major flashes against Vanderbilt that suggested this could be a strong defensive team, and those signs have only grown stronger.

The interior of this defense has stepped up thanks to its increased size. They had five blocks overall and many more shots that were affected at the rim. Justin Abson had his best game as a Deac with two steals and two blocks. Despite not scoring, he was still a +14 on the court.

The guards have been physical as well and helped prevent the Thunderbirds' offense from getting anything going on the perimeter. They had 10 steals overall, which has been a common theme throughout the season. Abson, Carr, and Jamari McDowell each had two steals in a big defensive effort. Despite being against inferior competition, this defense has seemed to have found something that can work well for them going forward.

Getting Points in the Paint

This physical edge that Wake is playing with is translating to the offensive end with points in the paint. The Deacs had 46 points in the paint on Saturday afternoon, getting to the rim consistently and converting. They still had some easy shots at the rim that were missed and can be cleaned up, but overall, getting so many shots underneath is a good sign for this team moving forward. They shot 54% from the field, which is pretty positive overall as they move forward.

What's Next?

Wake is now halfway through a four-game homestand. They will continue the run with Monmouth and Western Carolina next week before eventually heading to the Bahamas over Thanksgiving. They will play Mississippi State out of the SEC there in the Battle 4 Atlantis and get a second game as well.