It was a rough night for Wake Forest..
They lost to Stetson, 89-79, in a game that the Hatters controlled for much of the second half. They were up by as much as 19 at one point. In the history of Wake Forest basketball, Jeff Bzdelik became just the second coach to lose his opener. The game was in Winston-Salem. ACC teams losing at home to Atlantic Sun schools is not a good thing.
Can it get worse?
How about if your starting point guard, and arguably the only true point guard on your roster, breaks his foot and will spend the next two months on the mend. Does that make it worse?
“First of all let me say that Tony Chennault broke his foot and he’ll be out eight-to-ten weeks,” Bzdelik said to open his press conference last night.
The good news is this -- Wake Forest is still young. Very young. The returners, the guys that are supposed to be the leaders for this talented freshmen class, are sophomore or juniors are playing their first minutes as go-to players on this level. Some are playing their first real minutes at this level.
JT Terrell had 26 points last night. Ari Stewart went for 15 points and 10 boards. Ty Walker had seven blocks. There is room for this team to grow.
The question, however, is whether they will reach a level where they can be competitive in the ACC this season, or if Wake fans should be looking forward to next season.
But let’s give credit where credit is due -- Stetson won this game outright. As Blogger So Dear put it, Hatters gonna Hat.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.