Wake Forest knows the easy part of its season is over.
Now the fifth-ranked Demon Deacons begin a brutal four-game stretch by hosting Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson on Saturday.
Wake Forest's perfect 10-0 start included just one game against a ranked opponent, a 119-114 triple-overtime victory over then-No. 4 North Carolina on Dec. 20.
But three of the Demon Deacons' next four games are against ranked opponents, and 15 of the next 17 are ACC teams. After Clemson, the Demon Deacons travel to No. 18 Texas, No. 2 Duke and finally, a home game against No. 8 Georgia Tech.
"We talked as soon as the game was over about how the hard part is about to begin," Wake Forest guard Eric Williams said after an 86-47 win over Brown on Tuesday. "This was a good way to get ready, with an easy win that let us try some different things."
Wake Forest has won 23 straight at Lawrence Joel Coliseum since a home loss to Duke on Feb. 21, 2002.
The easy win over Brown allowed coach Skip Prosser to rest his starters, and get sophomore forward Chris Ellis his most significant playing time of the season.
Ellis, who broke a bone in his foot on the first day of practice, came in with just 12 minutes of playing time in one appearance this season. He finished with five points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
"Chris has not gotten any practice time and there is no way to make that up," Prosser said. "He is not going to get better overnight, but he can continue to help us."
Clemson (7-5, 0-1) did not fare as well in its conference as coach Oliver Purnell lost his ACC debut in a 73-54 defeat to No. 2 Duke last Saturday. The loss snapped the Tigers' three-game winning streak.
Purnell, the first black coach in the history of the program, was happy about his achievement despite the loss.
"This was quite a thrill for me," he said.
Sharrod Ford scored 12 points to lead Clemson. Freshman point guard Vernon Hamilton, who fell an assist shy of a triple-double in a Dec. 30 win over Boston College, was held to two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
Wake Forest has won nine of the last 10 meetings, and leads the all-time series 90-50.
