Wake Forest's non-conference schedule just got harder.
ESPN's Andy Katz has learned the bracket for the Maui Invitational, and Wake Forest will play Indiana in the first round. The two teams are on the same side of the bracket as St. John's and Vanderbilt. If Wake Forest beats Indiana then they will play the winner of the St. John's-Vanderbilt game, and vice versa. Kansas, Chaminade, UNLV, and UCLA are on the opposite side of the bracket. I'm glad that the tournament opted not to go with the obvious Danny Manning versus Kansas matchup since Wake Forest and Kansas played each other just two seasons ago.
Indiana went 20-14 last season and made the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Wichita State in the first round. Indiana will have an excellent backcourt that features Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon. Small forward Troy Williams is an efficient slasher who is also a talented rebounder. The Hoosiers added 5-star power forward Thomas Bryant to an offense that finished 9th in adjusted offensive efficiency last season. The good news for Wake Forest is that Indiana was 214th in adjusted defensive efficiency last season.
St. John's will have a very young roster under first year head coach Chris Mullin, while Vanderbilt will be one of the best teams in the ACC. Do you like this draw for the Demon Deacons?
WAKE FOREST"S NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
We all know what happened the last time Wake Forest and Indiana played...
