A Light Load Before Conference Play
Wake Forest has unveiled its non‑conference slate for the 2026‑27 men’s basketball season, a schedule that leans heavily on opponents who struggled in recent campaigns.
The list features Maryland Eastern Shore, Vanderbilt, Charleston Southern, Southern Utah, Monmouth, Western Carolina, the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, LSU, UMass, Hampton, Gardner‑Webb, West Virginia and Presbyterian, many of whom posted losing records or ranked near the bottom of the NCAA’s KenPom metrics last year.
Only Vanderbilt reached the NCAA tournament a season ago, and three programs — Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Monmouth — were the sole teams on the slate that finished with winning ledgers, underscoring the overall weakness of the field.
Coach Steve Forbes and his staff will be measured not just by wins but by the margin of victory required to move the team’s early‑season rankings upward in the metrics that matter to the selection committee.
The home stretch in October and November presents a modest slate, with most opponents ranked outside the top 300 in the KenPom/NET system, a reality that could limit the Demon Deacons’ ability to boost their résumé before ACC competition begins.
If Wake Forest hopes to start the season on a positive note, it will need to dominate these games or rely on unexpected improvements from the lower‑tier opponents, a scenario that appears unlikely given the historical performance of teams like Maryland Eastern Shore and Gardner‑Webb, who ranked among the nation’s worst last year.
Metrics on the Horizon
The schedule’s design reflects a strategic gamble: by confronting a series of weak opponents, the coaching staff hopes to fine‑tune schemes and build chemistry while preserving a manageable workload before conference play.
Nevertheless, the lack of high‑profile non‑conference matchups may hinder the team’s ability to climb the national rankings, potentially forcing the Deacons to over‑perform in each contest to achieve the desired metric boost.