Wake Forest couldn’t have found a better time to fix their second-half road problems than in their first game of the ACC Tournament. 

“It’s time to change, it’s time to grow up…It’s go time,” Wake Forest Men’s Basketball Head Coach Steve Forbes said as his fifth-seeded Demon Deacons conquered their struggles to win on the road — defeating Notre Dame 72-59 and advancing to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. 

“I thought we came out and did a really good job establishing both ends of the court in the second half and not relying on just our offense or our defense to win the game,” Forbes said.

Senior forward Andrew Carr (12 PTS, 11 REB, 3 BLK) led Wake Forest’s concentrated defensive effort down low during the first half, nearly recording a double-double by the end of the period. As Carr eventually reached double-digit scoring and rebounds, the Demon Deacons held Notre Dame to 9-of-24 field shooting and just 4 paint points in that time. 

“I think it’s a credit to the game plan coming in, especially offensively,” Carr said after the game. 

Despite leading 40-34 at the half, Wake Forest was far from a win. As the Demon Deacons have seen all season, neither high-caliber first period play nor a halftime lead have guaranteed winning on the road. 

But as the second half opened, it became clear that the Demon Deacons had made progress in sorting out their issues on both sides of the ball. 

Leading the team in scoring, Kevin “Boopie” Miller (17 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST) noted Wake Forest’s improvements across their offense during the second half. 

“The second half of the other games — the away games — we started off slow,” sophomore guard Miller said after the game. “But I feel like this half the coaches told us the emphasis they wanted to put on defending, finishing out strong, coming out with rebounds [and] scoring the ball.” 

While Wake Forest’s offense continued to fire well into the second half, the Demon Deacons’ defense continued to lock down Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish made just five baskets and didn’t score a single 3-pointer after the half. 

Now, Wake Forest will face fourth-seeded Pitt for a spot in the conference semifinals. While the next round’s matchup is forecasted to have serious implications for the Demon Deacons’ chance at making the NCAA Tournament, Carr says the team won’t be distracted by any outside noise just as they haven’t been all season. 

“None of that really matters until Selection Sunday,” Carr said. “For us to be able to put ourselves in the best position, it’s going to be winning the next game in front of us.”

Wake Forest and Pitt will play in the quarterfinals round of the ACC Tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. tomorrow. The game is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN2.