Wake Forest off to best start since 1987

DEACS 12-0

For a team picked to finish last in the ACC, it's especially impressive that the Wake Forest women's basketball team is off to the program's best start since 1987.

The Demon Deacons (12-0) enter their final nonconference game tonight at Richmond before opening their ACC schedule on Thursday at No. 14-ranked Maryland.

As teams mentally prepare this week for the start of a 14-game conference schedule, five ACC teams are ranked in The Associated Press' Top 25 poll, including No. 2 North Carolina, No. 5 Duke, No. 15 Virginia and No. 22 Georgia Tech.

Wake Forest, which owns the second-best record among ACC teams, has received AP votes but hasn't cracked the Top 25. That doesn't seem to bother players, nor does their low preseason selection.

"I know people picked us last in the ACC," Wake senior guard Alex Tchangoue said. "I'm fine with it. I don't care, people think what they want to think. I know I just trust my team to surprise everybody and do better."

Wake's nonconference schedule, with wins over UNC-Greensboro, South Carolina and Mississippi, doesn't qualify the Deacs for participation in any toughest-schedule-in-the-country contest. And after starting 12-2 in nonconference play last season only to finish 15-15 overall and 2-12 in the ACC, the Deacs have not yet earned an automatic pass into the conference's upper echelon.

Tchangoue, Wake's leading scorer with 14.8 points per game, said the team's growth is undeniable. The Deacs, she said, are rolling over opponents with fast-break basketball and pressure defense.

Holding teams to 51.5 points per game, their defense ranks first in the ACC, while their offense ranks third at 79.4.

During the preseason members of coach Mike Petersen's team were given a bracelet with the word "FINISH," symbolizing their need to do just that in conference play.

"We've always had really good players," Tchangoue said. "In the past, we were not deep enough and we were a little too young. Even though we had good players we were not ready. ... I know we're going to surprise everybody."

FIVE TO WATCH

* No. 2 North Carolina at Clemson, 7 p.m. Thursday

* Miami at No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m. Friday

* N.C. State at No. 2 North Carolina, 1 p.m. Sunday (FSCAR)

* No. 17 Rutgers at No. 10 Louisville, 2 p.m. Sunday (ESPNU)

* No. 14 Maryland at No. 5 Duke, 7:30 p.m. Monday (ESPN2)

ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Virginia's Lyndra Littles, who missed nine games earlier in the fall, averaged 25.7 points in three games last week.

ACC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Miami's Shenise Johnson continued her impressive debut by scoring 43 points over three games, with 10 assists and 10 steals.

MY BALLOT

This season, I'm a voter for The Associated Press' Women's Top 25 poll. Here are my top five: No. 1 Connecticut (13-0), No. 2 North Carolina (14-0), No. 3 Texas A&M (12-0), No. 4 Oklahoma (11-2) and No. 5 Duke (11-1).

Texas dropped out with a loss to San Diego State.

You can find my other picks at The News & Observer's women's hoops blog online at http://blogs.newsobserver.com/ womenshoops/home.

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