GAME: No. 13 Virginia Commonwealth (23-7) vs. No. 4 Wake Forest (19-9).

REGIONAL: East Rutherford, First Round.

TIME: Thursday, 3:00 p.m. EST.

SITE: RBC Center; Raleigh, N.C.

Syracuse won its first national championship last year thanks largely to the play of a talented freshman. Wake Forest is hoping to do the same.

Point guard Chris Paul leads the Demon Deacons as they open the NCAA tournament against Virginia Commonwealth.

The 6-foot Paul averaged 14.2 points, shooting 49 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the foul line for Wake Forest this season. He was fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists, averaging 5.8, and shoots 46.9 percent from 3-point range.

"I came in not wanting to step on toes, hoping to fit in as best I could," Paul said. "My teammates helped me out with that. They told me, 'You're the point guard. You're the leader."'

Paul beat out Duke freshman Luol Deng for rookie of the year honors in the ACC. He led the 17th-ranked Demon Deacons to a 19-9 record and now hopes to carry them the way Carmelo Anthony led the Orangemen in last year's tournament.

The freshman sensation has performed well in pressure-packed situations.

Paul had 20 points and eight assists to lead Wake Forest to a win over Duke on Feb. 18. He matched a career high with 30 points and nine assists in the Demon Deacons' 87-86 loss to Maryland in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

However, Justin Gray shot poorly and Eric Williams was hampered by foul trouble. Both players will have to bounce back for the Demon Deacons to make a deep run in the tournament.

Gray was named to the All-ACC first team and leads Wake Forest in scoring with 17.2 points. He has made a team-high 88 3-pointers and led the ACC in scoring in February, averaging 22 points.

The 6-foot-8, 260-pound Williams is the Demon Deacons' most talented low post threat, averaging 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Williams will get some help in the paint now that junior Vytas Danelius appears to have fully recovered from a high ankle sprain.

Danelius was named All-ACC second team last season after averaging 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. The junior from Lithuania has started just 13 games this year.

The Rams are back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996, but coach Jeff Capel is no stranger to Wake Forest.

Capel, at 29 the youngest Division I head coach, became accustomed to playing in the NCAA tournament as a four-year starter at Duke in the mid- to late 1990s.

"This is awesome,' Capel said. "It's different because at Duke, it was expected. You just kind of expected it and if you didn't get to the Final Four, it was a huge disappointment. This is huge for us. This is probably a little bit sweeter because I'm not sure if anyone expected us to do it."

The Rams earned an automatic tournament bid by beating George Mason 55-54 on March 9 to win the Colonial Athletic Association championship.

VCU has won nine of its last 10 games. Domonic Jones is scoring 16.1 points per game to lead the Rams, followed by center Troy Godwin's 12.1 points.

VCU could have trouble contending with the Demon Deacons' size up front. Godwin is the Rams' tallest starter at 6-6.

This will be the first meeting between the teams.

PROBABLE STARTERS: Virginia Commonwealth - F Nick George (8.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg), F Jesse Pellot-Rosa (6.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg), C Godwin (12.1 ppg and 7.0 rpg), G Jones (16.1 ppg and 4.5 rpg), G B.A. Walker (7.6 ppg and 2.9 apg). Wake Forest - F Danelius (6.0 ppg and 4.8 rpg), F Jamaal Levy (10.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg), C Williams (12.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg), G Paul (14.2 ppg, 5.8 apg and 2.8 spg), G Gray (17.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Virginia Commonwealth - Automatic bid, Colonial Athletic Association champion. Wake Forest - At-large berth.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Virginia Commonwealth - 4-6, six years. Wake Forest - 24-18, 18 years.