Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Virginia Cavaliers Picks and Predictions February 26th 2025

Wake Forest’s Sliding NCAA Hopes on the Line vs. Virginia

Wake Forest had avoided the pitfalls of what might be considered “bad losses” for most of the season. However, after suffering a couple recently, the Demon Deacons can ill afford another when Virginia visits for an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Wake Forest (19-8, 11-5 ACC) clings to a share of fourth place despite dropping two of its last three games. Virginia (13-14, 6-10 ACC), which has lost two in a row, still has work to do to secure its spot in the 15-team ACC tournament.

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The Deacons’ puzzling 85-73 defeat at North Carolina State on Saturday put a dent in their NCAA Tournament resume.

“I didn’t think we came in with a sense of urgency,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said.

A bright spot for Wake Forest was the return of guard Cameron Hildreth, who had missed a game due to a foot injury. Hildreth, the team’s No. 2 scorer, led the team with 16 points against NC State.

Another potential boost for Wake Forest is Omaha Biliew, who has missed much of the season with injuries but is slowly working back into the rotation.

“He has got great energy and has done a really good job of staying in tune with what we’ve been doing, even when he has not been playing,” Forbes said.

Virginia Struggling on Defense

Virginia is coming off an 81-66 loss at North Carolina in which it fell behind early due to defensive struggles.

“They kept kicking the ball out of the screens, and we were late getting out for the majority of the day,” Virginia interim coach Ron Sanchez said. “They had a lot of easy, catch-and-shoot 3s. … We have to contest the 3-point line better without fouling. (It’s) something we have to look at and address and get better.”

That might not be as much of an issue against Wake Forest, which attempted only nine threes in its last game.

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Guard Isaac McKneely has led Virginia in scoring in five of the last seven games, posting anywhere from 17 to 26 points in those contests.

The Cavaliers are 3-6 in road games this season but had won three straight on the road before their loss at North Carolina.

Can Wake Forest Get Back on Track?

With their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line, Wake Forest needs a strong showing at home. Meanwhile, Virginia will aim to shore up its defense and break its losing skid.

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