Steve Forbes and the Fight for ACC Tournament Relevance in 2025
Steve Forbes has quietly rebuilt Wake Forest basketball into a program that can compete in the nation's most unforgiving conference, capping it with a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 for the first time in over a decade. The defining identity of this era is player development — Forbes and his staff have turned transfers and under-recruited prospects into legitimate ACC contributors year after year. The central question every season is whether the Deacons can accumulate enough wins against Duke, UNC, and the rest of the ACC gauntlet to secure a tournament bid. Roster construction through the transfer portal has become Wake Forest's sharpest competitive edge against blue-blood neighbors with deeper recruiting pipelines.
Gold Rush, 'Let's Go Deacs,' and What Makes Lawrence Joel Special
The Gold Rush student section at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum sets the tone on game nights with coordinated themes and relentless noise that punches well above the building's 14,665-seat capacity. The chant 'Let's Go Deacs' rolls through the arena on big possessions, and the black-and-old-gold color scheme makes the crowd look like a unified force. Homecoming games and rivalry matchups against Duke, UNC, and NC State pull alumni back from across the Research Triangle and beyond — these aren't just games, they're major social events for a tight-knit Demon Deacons community that stays connected long after graduation.
Wake Forest vs. NC State: The Battle for North Carolina Basketball Bragging Rights
The rivalry with the NC State Wolfpack runs on geography, recruiting territory, and ACC pride — Winston-Salem and Raleigh are close enough that both fanbases feel every result personally. Wake Forest and NC State chase many of the same North Carolina prospects each cycle, which means losses sting twice: once on the court and once in the recruiting rankings. Duke adds a fierce academic-institutional dimension to the rivalry calendar; upsets over the Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium rank among the most celebrated moments in Demon Deacons history. UNC matchups carry significant weight in statewide recruiting battles and send large Wake Forest alumni travel parties down to Chapel Hill every season.
Finally, a Briefing That Gets Why Following the Deacons Is Complicated
Being a Wake Forest fan means tracking a program that competes in the ACC's meat grinder while navigating the transfer portal, coaching retention anxiety, and the constant noise from Duke and UNC dominating the local sports conversation. Scoutcast delivers a personalized daily audio briefing that cuts straight to what matters for Demon Deacons fans — roster moves, ACC standings shifts, recruiting news, and tournament bubble analysis — in the time it takes to finish your morning coffee. No more digging through generic college basketball coverage hoping to find one paragraph about Wake Forest. Get the Deacons-specific briefing built for fans who actually care about every detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
The full 2025 schedule — including ACC home games at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum and road matchups at Duke and UNC — is available on GoDEacs.com. Scoutcast surfaces schedule reminders and game previews automatically in your daily Deacons briefing.
Wake Forest and Duke have clashed as fellow private ACC schools since the conference's early days, with Demon Deacons upsets in Cameron Indoor Stadium becoming some of the program's most celebrated moments. The academic rivalry adds a layer of intensity that goes beyond typical conference competition.
The transfer portal has become the engine of the Forbes era at Wake Forest, with the coaching staff consistently identifying undervalued players and developing them into ACC contributors. Scoutcast tracks every portal addition and departure so you hear about it before your group chat does.
Wake Forest has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances all-time, with the most recent coming in 2022 under Steve Forbes — the program's first bid in over a decade. Deep runs have been elusive, and breaking through to a Sweet Sixteen or beyond remains the benchmark fans are pushing toward.
Wake Forest ACC games are broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ACC Network depending on the matchup. Streaming is available through ESPN+ and various cable TV authentication apps. Scoutcast's morning briefing tells you exactly where and when to tune in each game day.
Steve Forbes took over in 2021 and quickly reversed years of mediocrity, posting the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 in his second season. His record reflects steady improvement in one of college basketball's most competitive conferences.
Gold Rush is Wake Forest's official student section at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, known for coordinated themes, black-and-old-gold gear, and creating the loudest atmosphere the 14,665-seat arena can generate on rivalry nights.