Wake Forest headed to NIT
Wake Forest’s men’s basketball team has not played its final game of the season.
The Deacons are headed to the NIT, announced Sunday night. They will play Navy on Wednesday night in the first round at Joel Coliseum.
Wake Forest is a 1-seed for the event. If the Deacons advance, they’ll face the winner of a game between Illinois State and Kent State. California is the only other ACC team in the NIT, as a 2-seed in a region with New Mexico.
Coach Steve Forbes and players made it clear after Wednesday night’s loss to Clemson in the ACC tournament they wanted to continue playing. It’s the opposite of last season, when the Deacons would have qualified for an automatic invite but informed the NIT they would decline the bid.
“They want to play. They like playing. They like each other. I like coaching them,” Forbes said after the loss to Clemson. “I don’t like not getting offensive rebounds or defensive rebounds, but I do like coaching them. So, we’ll see. We’ll play if the opportunity presents itself.”
That it did.
It’s the third NIT bid in the past five seasons for Wake Forest. The Deacons won two games in 2022, both at home, before bowing out with a loss at Texas A&M. They beat Appalachian State at home in 2024 before losing to Georgia in the second round.
