NC State Wolfpack basketball (6-5, 2-4 ACC) continues conference play Wednesday night against Wake Forest in PNC Arena at 8:00 p.m. on ACC Network.

The Demon Deacons are 4-6 (1-6 ACC) under head coach Steve Forbes in his first season with the program. Wake is coming off of its first conference win this year, a 76-75 victory over Pittsburgh.

The Pack will be looking to end a four-game losing streak and lost to North Carolina 86-76 in Chapel Hill in its most recent game.

Here is the scouting report on Wake Forest:

Wake Forest is in the middle of a rebuilding process under a new head coach after a mass exodus of last season's roster following the firing of former head coach Danny Manning.

The Demon Deacons won all three of their non-conference games against teams ranked No. 250 or lower according to KenPom. They lost multiple games in December after a COVID outbreak within the program made them go over a month without playing a single game.

Wake opened league play with six straight losses against ACC competition. The Demon Deacons have been competitive in every game, however. Their widest margin of defeat was a 16-point loss to Georgia Tech in their conference opener.

Wake Forest was projected to finish last in the conference in the preseason ACC media poll.

Wake Forest is currently ranked No. 109 in the NET rankings (NC State is No. 84), which makes Wednesday's contest a quad three game for the Pack.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Demon Deacons ranked No. 114 (NC State is No. 43), and KenPom.com has Wake ranked No. 118 (NC State is No. 68).

Wake Forest is also ranked No. 191 in the old RPI formula used by the NCAA — according to RealTimeRPI.com.

Wake Forest's strength is shooting the basketball.

The Demon Deacons rank in the top 100 nationally in effective field goal percentage (52.6, 79th), three-point shooting percentage (35.3, 93rd) and two-point shooting percentage (52.1, 94th).

Wake also makes its free throws. The Deacs average 75.5 percent at the line, which ranks 45th among Division I teams.

The battle of strengths will be behind the three-point line. Wake Forest has shot 46.8 percent of its field goal attempts in league play from behind the arc, which ranks first in the ACC. The Wolfpack has held opponents to just 28.9 percent of field goal attempts from three, which ranks first in the conference defensively.

Advantage: NC State

The Demon Deacons and Wolfpack both struggle on the glass.

Wake Forest averages just 32.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 303rd nationally.

The Deacs have been average on the offensive glass in league play. Wake's ACC opponents have averaged an offensive board on 27.1 percent of misses, while WFU claims a second-chance opportunity on 26.2 percent of its misses, which ranks eighth and ninth, respectively, in the ACC.

Advantage: Tie

Wake Forest has an adjusted defensive efficiency of 99.8 (points per 100 possessions) according to KenPom, which ranks 135th nationally.

The Demon Deacons particularly struggle to defend shots inside the arc. Wake's opponents average 54.4 percent on two-point field goal attempts, which ranks 298th among Division I teams. That defensive two-point field goal average jumps up to 57.1 percent in league play, which ranks last in the ACC.

The Deacs' opponents have also averaged 32.9 percent from the perimeter, placing them 149th nationally in defensive three-point field goal percentage.

Advantage: NC State

Wake Forest has 12 players that have averaged 12.5 minutes per game or more this season.

The only problem is keeping them healthy. Of those 12 players, two have played in just two contests and only one has started every contest.

The Demon Deacons will likely play 10-deep Wednesday night.

Advantage: Wake Forest

Sophomore guard Daivien Williamson is Wake Forest's leading scorer, averaging 12.7 points per game.

He also leads the Demon Deacons in minutes (34.2 minutes per game) and assists (3.6 assists per game).

Williamson is shooting 45.7 percent from the field this season and 29.4 percent from three.

The 6-2, 170-pounder also averages 1.7 steals per game but also averages 2.5 turnovers per contest.

5 Different NC State players scored in double figures in the road loss to North Carolina Saturday, marking a new season-high. Fifth-year senior guard Devon Daniels led the team with 21 points followed by fifth-year senior forward DJ Funderburk (14), senior guard Braxton Beverly (12), junior forward Jericole Hellems (11) and redshirt sophomore center Manny Bates (10).

3 Players in NC State program history have recorded at least 250 assists, 200 made three-pointers and 100 steals in their Wolfpack careers: Rodney Monroe, Engin Atsur, and now following Saturday's loss to UNC, Beverly. Beverly also became the fifth player in program history to have at least 200 three-point makes.

5-1 Is head coach Kevin Keatts' record against Wake Forest during his time with the Wolfpack. The Pack is also 3-0 against the Demon Deacons in PNC Arena since Keatts' first season in 2017-18. The Wolfpack won the last meeting between the two Tobacco Road programs 84-64 in the regular-season finale of the 2019-20 campaign.

NC State

G — 10 Braxton Beverly (6-0, 180, Sr., 6.6 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg)

G — 5 Thomas Allen (6-1, 180, R-Jr., 7.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.5 spg)

G — 24 Devon Daniels (6-5, 205, 5th-Sr., 16.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.2 apg)

F — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 205, Jr., 11.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.7 apg)

C — 15 Manny Bates (6-11, 230, R-So., 9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.4 bpg)

Wake Forest

G – 4 Daivien Williamson (6-2, 170, Jr., 12.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.6 apg)

G – 20 Jonah Antonio (6-5, 195, Sr. 8.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.0 apg)

G – 2 Jalen Johnson (6-6, 195, Jr., 6.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.8 apg)

F – 1 Isaiah Mucius (6-8, 220, Jr., 10.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 0.3 apg)

C – 33 Ody Oguama (6-9, 225, So., 9.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.0 apg)

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