Wake Forest, Georgia Tech face off with ACC tourney hopes on the line

Wake Forest and Georgia Tech have both had disappointing campaigns and both have to start collecting wins if they want to compete in postseason play.

With only 15 of the 18 Atlantic Coast Conference teams qualifying for the ACC tournament next month -- and Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in the mix for one of those last spots -- Wednesday's matchup in Atlanta is one of the biggest down the stretch for two programs desperate for a win.

Georgia Tech, 11-13 overall, brings a 2-9 conference record to the game, currently putting them out of an ACC tournament spot. The Yellow Jackets have lost five in a row, including a 95-72 blowout loss Saturday at Stanford.

Leading scorer Kowacie Reeves Jr. (15 points per game) didn't play against the Cardinal, but reports Tuesday night indicate that Reeves is expected to play against the Demon Deacons.

"It's one of those things where I can sit up here and talk about what I don't got, you know? I'm not going to do that," Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire said. "That's not the reason we lost. Did we miss the 16 (points)? Of course we did, but he didn't play on Wednesday as well and we were right there to win.

"The reality of it is that we gotta do a better job because right now, what we're doing is we're good enough to stay in good, but just not good enough to lose the game as well and at the end of the day, we got to get over the hump whether Kowacie is available or not."

Wake Forest is also on a five-game losing streak, which has seen their conference record plummet to 2-8. A loss by either squad will further sink them down in the standings, but a win could go a long way in helping them make the conference tournament with little more than a handful of games remaining in the regular season.

"I'm really disappointed that we lost the game," Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said following an 88-80 loss to No. 24 Louisville on Saturday. The Demon Deacons fought back from a 15-point, second-half deficit to tie the game before faltering late.

"We fought so hard to get back in it, playing the right way, and then we quit doing things that got us back into the game."