Wake Forest Basketball Upsets No. 8 Duke In Overtime Thriller
Wake Forest Basketball Upsets No. 8 Duke In Overtime Thriller...
Wake Forest pulled off a stunning 89-85 overtime victory against No. 8 Duke on Wednesday night, marking their first win over the Blue Devils since 2020. The Demon Deacons' dramatic comeback at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum has sent shockwaves through the ACC and boosted their NCAA tournament hopes.
Sophomore guard Cam Hildreth led Wake Forest with 23 points, including a crucial three-pointer in overtime. Duke's Kyle Filipowski fouled out with 4:12 remaining in regulation, leaving the Blue Devils vulnerable down the stretch. The sold-out crowd of 14,407 erupted as Wake Forest snapped Duke's seven-game winning streak.
The victory comes at a critical moment for Wake Forest (18-8, 10-5 ACC), who entered the game as a bubble team for March Madness. ESPN's Joe Lunardi immediately moved the Demon Deacons into his projected tournament field following the upset. Head coach Steve Forbes called it "the kind of win that changes a season" during his postgame press conference.
Duke (21-6, 12-4) saw their ACC title hopes take a hit with the loss. Coach Jon Scheyer criticized the officiating after the game, particularly the foul call that disqualified Filipowski. The Blue Devils now trail North Carolina by 1.5 games in the conference standings with four regular season games remaining.
Social media erupted after the game, with #WakeForest trending nationally on Twitter. The upset dominated sports talk shows Thursday morning, with analysts debating whether Wake Forest deserves a tournament bid. The Demon Deacons host Virginia Tech on Saturday while Duke travels to Virginia in key ACC matchups.
This marks Wake Forest's first win over a top-10 opponent since 2021. The program has now beaten both Duke and North Carolina in the same season for the first time since 2009-10. Ticket sales for remaining home games spiked overnight as fans anticipate a potential tournament push.
The upset comes during a resurgence for Wake Forest basketball under Forbes, now in his fourth season. After going 6-16 in ACC play during his first year, the Demon Deacons have posted three consecutive winning conference records. Wednesday's win gives them their highest ACC win total since 2009-10.
Duke must regroup quickly with March approaching. The Blue Devils remain in contention for a top-4 NCAA tournament seed but can't afford more losses. Both teams now turn their attention to the final stretch of regular season play before the ACC tournament begins March 12 in Washington, D.C.
