Wake Forest vs Navy: Deacs Favored in NIT Opener

0:00On March 18th, Wake Forest kicks off their NIT run tonight with a home match up against the Navy midshipman. The game tips off at 7pm at the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. You can catch it on ESPNU or the ESPN app. Wake enters as heavy favorites with a 12.5 point spread and an over under of 148.5. Navy dominated their conference regular season, going 17 wins and one loss. But they bowed out early in the Patriot League tournament and missed the NCAA field. Wake holds solid rankings at number 74 on Kenpom and number 66 in ET, while Navy sits around 140. Experts predict a wake win, 77 to 66, with an 87% chance. Fans are buzzing about the talent gap here, as most of Navy's 26 wins came against week non-D1 or Quad 4 opponents. Their losses to stronger teams were blowouts, like 29 to Yale and 30 to UNCW.

1:01Wake's got the edge and speed and skill, setting up for a comfortable night. This pits Navy's slow, gritty defense against Wake's push-to-pay style. The teams last met back in 2002, when Wake won 87 to 65, and all time it's five wins to three for the deeks. Expect Wake to roll through this Quad 3 opener and build momentum for a deeper tournament run. Made in A.I.