Sophomore forward Travis McKie came to Wake Forest, in part, to compete in the ACC.
This season, he hopes to get that chance.
"The ACC is not as good as it usually is this year," McKie said. "So we don't know who is going to do what.
"I believe in our chances to compete in this league, and get some wins."
Wake Forest will open its ACC schedule today against Virginia Tech at noon at Joel Coliseum (WFMY Ch. 9). With an upset victory, the Deacons would equal last season's total of conference victories.
McKie said last March that he was bound and determined never to go through another season like he experienced as a freshman, when the Deacons limped to an 8-24 record and 1-15 mark in ACC play.
Wake Forest, at 9-5, already has exceeded last season's total of victories. But a greater goal is to prove it can once again be competitive in the ACC.
Coach Jeff Bzdelik also thinks his team has a chance.
"Without question," Bzdelik said. "I just think our talent is good enough.
"I believe in them."
Several ACC teams struggled through their nonconference schedules, but Virginia Tech wasn't one of them.
The Hokies, picked to finish sixth in the league after losing seniors Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Terrell Bell, have won six in a row to improve to 11-3.
Their losses have come against Syracuse (69-58), Minnesota (58-55) and Kansas State (69-61), and they're coming off their most impressive performance of the season, a 67-61 victory at Oklahoma State on Dec. 31.
It was their second victory of the season against the Cowboys, who they defeated 59-57 for third place in the Preseason NIT on Nov. 25.
Junior guard Erick Green leads Virginia Tech with 15.5 points a game and is shooting 49 percent from the floor and 43 percent from 3-point range.
Redshirt senior guard Dorenzo Hudson, who was sidelined last season after nine games with a foot injury, averages 11.8 points but has yet to regain his shooting touch. He's making 41 percent of his field-goal attempts and 27 percent of his 3-point attempts.
The Hokies have received early dividends from Dorian Finney-Smith, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward from Portsmouth, Va., who is second on the team with 31 minutes a game. Finney-Smith is averaging 8.2 rebounds after pulling down 10 at Oklahoma State.
McKie said that Wake Forest's biggest challenge is to match Virginia Tech on the backboards.
The Hokies rank sixth in the ACC with a rebounding margin of plus-5 a game, and the Deacons rank 11th at minus-4.6.
"Win the rebounding war and you win the game," McKie said. "That's the thing we struggle with, and that's the thing they thrive on.
"Their best offense is the offensive rebounds. And they're a very aggressive team, and they're very athletic. Win the boards and win the game."
Junior C.J. Harris, who is second in the ACC in scoring (18.7 ppg), practiced all week after missing Monday's game against Wofford with a strained groin.
The Deacons lost 56-52 after the Terriers turned 17 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points.
Bzdelik said that rebounding continues to be a point of emphasis.
"At some point in time, that has to stop," Bzdelik said of opponents' ability to plunder the Deacons' defensive boards. "We've worked on it extensively from Day 1."
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