2025–26 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team

2025–26 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball
2025–26 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	14–12 (5–8 ACC)
Head coach	Steve Forbes (6th season);
Assistant coaches	BJ McKie; Matt Woodley; Jason Shay; Antanas Kavaliauskas;
Home arena	LJVM Coliseum

2025–26 ACC men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 3 Duke	13	–	1	.929	24	–	2	.923
No. 14 Virginia	11	–	2	.846	23	–	3	.885
Miami (FL)	10	–	3	.769	21	–	5	.808
Clemson	10	–	4	.714	20	–	7	.741
NC State	10	–	4	.714	19	–	8	.704
No. 16 North Carolina	8	–	5	.615	20	–	6	.769
No. 21 Louisville	8	–	5	.615	19	–	7	.731
SMU	7	–	6	.538	18	–	8	.692
California	6	–	7	.462	18	–	8	.692
Florida State	6	–	7	.462	13	–	13	.500
Virginia Tech	6	–	8	.429	17	–	10	.630
Syracuse	6	–	8	.429	15	–	12	.556
Stanford	5	–	8	.385	16	–	10	.615
Wake Forest	5	–	8	.385	14	–	12	.538
Notre Dame	3	–	10	.231	12	–	14	.462
Boston College	2	–	11	.154	9	–	17	.346
Pittsburgh	2	–	11	.154	9	–	17	.346
Georgia Tech	2	–	12	.143	11	–	16	.407

† 2026 ACC tournament winner As of February 18, 2026 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represents Wake Forest University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Demon Deacons, led by sixth-year head coach Steve Forbes, play their home games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Previous season

The Demon Deacons finished the season 21–11 and 13–7 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. Wake Forest finished atop the tiebreaking procedure and was the fourth seed in the 2025 ACC tournament. As the fourth seed, they earned a bye into the quarterfinals where they lost to rivals North Carolina 68–59. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament and declined an invitation to the NIT.^[1]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Davin Cosby	1	G	6'5"	210	Sophomore	Richmond, Virginia	Transferred to Kennesaw State^[2]
Efton Reid	4	F/C	7'0"	250	Senior	Richmond, Virginia	Graduated, signed with Kobrat
Cameron Hildreth	6	G	6'4"	195	Senior	Worthing, England	Graduated, signed with the Noblesville Boom
Parker Friedrichsen	7	G	6'4"	185	Sophomore	Bixby, Oklahoma	Transferred to Davidson^[3]
Ty-Laur Johnson	8	G	6'0"	170	Sophomore	Brooklyn, New York	Transferred to San Diego^[4]
Mason Hagedorn	20	F	6'9"	225	Freshman	Charlotte, North Carolina	Transferred to VMI^[5]
Hunter Sallis	23	G	6'5"	185	Senior	Omaha, Nebraska	Graduated and signed two-way NBA contract with the Philadelphia 76ers^[6]
RJ Kennah	40	G	6'5"	200	Senior	Parker, Colorado	Graduated
Owen Kmety	44	F	6'7"	210	Junior	Chicago, Illinois	—
Kevin Dunn	51	G	6'3"	210	Senior	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Graduated
Churchill Abass	55	C/F	6'10"	250	Sophomore	Edo State, Nigeria	Transferred to New Orleans^[7]

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Nate Calmese	1	G	6'2"	181	Senior	Gilbert, Arizona	Washington State
Myles Colvin	6	G	6'5"	212	Junior	Indianapolis, Indiana	Purdue
Mekhi Mason	8	G	6'5"	202	Senior	Gilbert, Arizona	Washington
Sebastian Akins	10	G	6'2"	175	Sophomore	Concord, North Carolina	Denver
Cooper Schwieger	13	F	6'10"	235	Junior	Overland Park, Kansas	Valparaiso

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Isaac Carr SG	Portland, OR	Central Catholic High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 17, 2024
Isaac Carr SG	Recruit ratings: 247Sports: (NR)
Jaylen Cross PG	Greensboro, NC	Caldwell Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Apr 23, 2025
Jaylen Cross PG	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Wake Forest Demon Deacons". ESPN. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.

Roster

2025–26 Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	0	Omaha Biliew	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Jr	Iowa State	Waukee, Iowa
G	1	Nate Calmese	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	Sr	Washington State	Gilbert, Arizona
G	2	Juke Harris	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Salisbury High School	Salisbury, North Carolina
G	4	Will Underwood	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jr	Mahtomedi High School	Mahtomedi, Minnesota
G	6	Myles Colvin	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	Jr	Purdue	Indianapolis, Indiana
G	7	Isaac Carr	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	Fr	Central Catholic High School	Portland, Oregon
G	8	Mekhi Mason	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Sr	Washington	Gilbert, Arizona
F	9	Vincent Ricchiuti	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	St. Augustine High School	San Diego, California
G	10	Sebastian Akins	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	So	Denver	Concord, North Carolina
F	11	Marqus Marion	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS So	BMS Herlev	Skovlunde, Denmark
F	13	Cooper Schwieger	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jr	Valparaiso	Overland Park, Kansas
F	23	Jaylen Cross	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Caldwell Academy	Greensboro, North Carolina
F	25	Tre'Von Spillers	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	GS	Appalachian State	Charleston, South Carolina
G	30	Anson Beard Jr.	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Fr	Lawrenceville School	New York, New York
F	33	Dimitrije Kovacevic	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Fr	KK Real Beograd U19	Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Head coach

Steve Forbes (Southern Arkansas)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 29, 2025

Schedule and results

Source:^[8]

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+	at East Tennessee State	W 89–70	–	24 – Mason	11 – Spillers	12 – Calmese	Freedom Hall Civic Center (6,392) Johnson City, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 8:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	American	W 88–74	1–0	20 – Tied	10 – Mason	9 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (7,023) Winston-Salem, NC
November 7, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	Morehead State	W 81–65	2–0	29 – Harris	10 – Spillers	5 – Akins	LJVM Coliseum (6,689) Winston-Salem, NC
November 11, 2025* 6:30 p.m., FS1	vs. No. 6 Michigan Wolverine-Deacon Challenge	L 84–85 ^OT	2–1	19 – Harris	7 – Tied	5 – Tied	Little Caesars Arena (7,362) Detroit, MI
November 16, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	UMass Lowell	W 109–65	3–1	21 – Tied	6 – Tied	7 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (6,825) Winston-Salem, NC
November 20, 2025* 8:30 p.m., CBSSN	vs. No. 15 Texas Tech Baha Mar Championship Semifinals	L 83–84	3–2	26 – Harris	10 – Harris	6 – Calmese	Baha Mar Convention Center (2,437) Nassau, The Bahamas
November 21, 2025* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN	vs. Memphis Baha Mar Championship 3rd place game	W 69–68	4–2	24 – Spillers	10 – Harris	4 – Tied	Baha Mar Convention Center (-) Nassau, The Bahamas
November 25, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	Campbell	W 99–51	5–2	17 – Harris	9 – Mason	7 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (6,049) Winston-Salem, NC
November 28, 2025* 12:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	Northeastern	W 86–73	6–2	17 – Tied	10 – Spillers	4 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (6,853) Winston-Salem, NC
December 2, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCN	Oklahoma ACC–SEC Challenge	L 68–86	6–3	22 – Harris	7 – Harris	4 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (7,216) Winston-Salem, NC
December 6, 2025* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	vs. West Virginia Holiday Hoopfest	W 75–66	7–3	28 – Harris	7 – Colvin	9 – Calmese	Charleston Coliseum (10,221) Charleston, WV
December 14, 2025* 5:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	Queens	W 111–73	8–3	33 – Colvin	8 – Colvin	4 – Tied	LJVM Coliseum (6,355) Winston-Salem, NC
December 17, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+	Longwood	W 71–68	9–3	19 – Harris	8 – Harris	3 – Colvin	LJVM Coliseum (6,172) Winston-Salem, NC
December 21, 2025* 1:00 p.m., The CW	No. 13 Vanderbilt	L 67–98	9–4	20 – Colvin	12 – Colvin	3 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (7,605) Winston-Salem, NC
ACC regular season
December 31, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2	at NC State Rivalry	L 57–70	9–5 (0–1)	18 – Biliew	10 – Biliew	3 – Tied	Reynolds Coliseum (16,105) Raleigh, NC
January 3, 2026 12:00 p.m., ACCN	Virginia Tech	W 81–78	10–5 (1–1)	25 – Calmese	8 – Colvin	7 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (8,460) Winston-Salem, NC
January 7, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPNU	Miami (FL)	L 77–81	10–6 (1–2)	28 – Harris	8 – Spillers	4 – Tied	LJVM Coliseum (7,869) Winston-Salem, NC
January 10, 2026 6:00 p.m., ACCN	at No. 17 North Carolina Rivalry	L 84–87	10–7 (1–3)	28 – Tied	6 – Tied	9 – Calmese	Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, NC
January 17, 2026 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	at Florida State	W 69–68	11–7 (2–3)	18 – Calmese	9 – Harris	3 – Tied	Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (6,047) Tallahassee, FL
January 20, 2026 9:00 p.m., ACCN	SMU	L 79–91	11–8 (2–4)	27 – Harris	6 – Harris	6 – Calmese	LJVM Coliseum (7,579) Winston-Salem, NC
January 24, 2026 12:00 p.m., The CW	at No. 5 Duke	L 69–90	11–9 (2–5)	23 – Harris	3 – Tied	5 – Calmese	Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC
January 27, 2026 6:00 p.m., ACCN	at Pittsburgh	L 76–80 ^OT	11–10 (2–6)	18 – Colvin	11 – Schwieger	3 – Akins	Petersen Events Center (4,970) Pittsburgh, PA
January 31, 2026 3:45 p.m., The CW	NC State Rivalry	L 78–96	11–11 (2–7)	31 – Harris	7 – Tied	3 – Akins	LJVM Coliseum (5,821) Winston-Salem, NC
February 7, 2026 12:00 p.m., ACCN	No. 24 Louisville	L 80–88	11–12 (2–8)	25 – Harris	11 – Harris	7 – Spillers	LJVM Coliseum (8,874) Winston-Salem, NC
February 11, 2026 9:00 p.m., ACCN	at Georgia Tech	W 83–67	12–12 (3–8)	23 – Harris	13 – Harris	4 – Tied	McCamish Pavilion (4,879) Atlanta, GA
February 14, 2026 4:00 p.m., ACCN	Stanford	W 68–63	13–12 (4–8)	25 – Harris	7 – Harris	3 – Carr	LJVM Coliseum (7,219) Winston-Salem, NC
February 18, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCN	Clemson	W 85–77	14–12 (5–8)	20 – Harris	7 – Harris	5 – Carr	LJVM Coliseum (7,433) Winston-Salem, NC
February 21, 2026 12:00 p.m., ACCN	at Virginia Tech						Cassell Coliseum (-) Blacksburg, VA
February 24, 2026 7:00 p.m., ESPNU	at Boston College						Conte Forum (-) Chestnut Hill, MA
February 28, 2026 5:45 p.m., The CW	Syracuse						LJVM Coliseum (-) Winston-Salem, NC
March 3, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCN	at Virginia						John Paul Jones Arena (-) Charlottesville, VA
March 7, 2026 4:00 p.m., ACCN	California						LJVM Coliseum (-) Winston-Salem, NC
ACC tournament
	vs. Quarterfinals
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

References

^ Vernon, Jeremy (March 17, 2025). "Wake Forest men's basketball declines NIT bid Season ends for Demon Deacons". WFMY-TV. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
^ "No Quit in Davin Cosby Jr in his Fight to Walk and Fly with the Owls Again". Kennesaw State University Athletics. September 25, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
^ "'Cats Finalize 2025-26 Men's Basketball Roster". Davidson College Athletics. June 16, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
^ Patton, Andy (June 3, 2025). "Top Ranked Transfer Portal Guard Commits to WCC School". Athlon Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
^ @portal_updates (August 28, 2025). "Wake Forest transfer Mason Hagedorn has signed with VMI. The 6'9" forward redshirted his freshman season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^ "Sixers to sign Hunter Sallis to 2-way contract". NBC Sports Philadelphia. June 26, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
^ "Churchill Abass Stats, Offers, News, Highlights and more". Verbal Commits. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
^ "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved October 17, 2025.

[1] Vernon, Jeremy (March 17, 2025). "Wake Forest men's basketball declines NIT bid Season ends for Demon Deacons". WFMY-TV. Retrieved April 29, 2025.

[2] "No Quit in Davin Cosby Jr in his Fight to Walk and Fly with the Owls Again". Kennesaw State University Athletics. September 25, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.

[3] "'Cats Finalize 2025-26 Men's Basketball Roster". Davidson College Athletics. June 16, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.

[4] Patton, Andy (June 3, 2025). "Top Ranked Transfer Portal Guard Commits to WCC School". Athlon Sports. Retrieved November 3, 2025.

[5] @portal_updates (August 28, 2025). "Wake Forest transfer Mason Hagedorn has signed with VMI. The 6'9" forward redshirted his freshman season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[6] "Sixers to sign Hunter Sallis to 2-way contract". NBC Sports Philadelphia. June 26, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.

[7] "Churchill Abass Stats, Offers, News, Highlights and more". Verbal Commits. Retrieved November 3, 2025.

[8] "2025–26 Men's Basketball Schedule". godeacs.com. Wake Forest University Athletics. Retrieved October 17, 2025.

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball
Venues	Gore Gymnasium (1935–1956) Winston-Salem War Memorial Coliseum (1956–1989) Greensboro Coliseum (alternate; 1959–1989) Reynolds Gymnasium (alternate; 1956–1989) LJVM Coliseum (1989–present)
Rivalries	North Carolina NC State
Culture & lore	Demon Deacon Tobacco Road Dixie Classic / Big Four
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics