3 Concerning Observations from Wake Forest's Disappointing Loss to Notre Dame

Wake Forest followed up a thrilling home upset over Duke with a clunker on the road to an ACC bottom-feeder, losing 70-65 in what's become a recurring, troubling theme for these Demon Deacons.

While they're undefeated at home with exceptional shooting splits, Wake Forest has just one win in its last eight road games. I thought they'd ride the momentum of the Duke win to prove their mettle on the road, but that prediction could not have been more off-base.

Currently on the NCAA Tournament bubble per ESPN's bracketology with just three games to go before ACC tournament play, the Demon Deacons desperately need a win at Virginia Tech on Saturday. In the meantime, let's discuss three observations from the loss to Notre Dame.

3 Concerning Observations from Wake Forest's Loss to Notre Dame

1. The Road Woes are a Huge Problem

Just a few days after shooting a scorching 60.4% from the field and 52.9% from beyond the arc to beat the Blue Devils, Wake Forest shot a paltry 42.9% and 30.4% from three-point range. They scored only 22 points in the second half and star guard Hunter Sallis, who had 29 points on Saturday, made only two of 11 shots with four turnovers.

Part of the reason I was confident in the Demon Deacons was that the Irish ranked 250th in defensive turnover rate (16%) and 336th in free throw rate (26.5%). On the contrary, Wake Forest committed 12 turnovers and shot only 10 free throws compared to Notre Dame's 22, ultimately leading to the loss.

If Wake Forest makes it to March Madness, they obviously will not play at home. That could be a major problem for Steve Forbes' crew.

At home, the Demon Deacons have the 14th-best effective field goal percentage (59%) in the country, highlighted by shooting a blistering 42.6% from three (5th). On the road, their effective field goal percentage plummets to 48.3% (212th) and they shoot just 30% from beyond the arc (282nd).

Sallis and the core Wake rotation are better than this performance, though it'll be difficult to trust them in the NCAA Tournament if they have another poor effort on the road Saturday.