2024 Deacon-Wolverine Challenge Announced

Wake Forest vs. Michigan Men's Basketball

The Wake Forest and Michigan men’s basketball teams will face off on November 10th, 2024 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Demon Deacons and Wolverines will play a neutral site game in Michigan during the 2025-26 season.

When asked about the meaning to this game, Greensboro Coliseum Deputy Director Scott Johnson said, “We are excited to add to the Greensboro Coliseum’s long and storied college basketball history as the host of the 2024 Deacon-Wolverine Challenge this fall. The Triad is passionate about college basketball and we look forward to having a packed house at the Coliseum to watch two top teams from the ACC and Big Ten go head to head.”

Tickets will go on sale on July 24th on ticketmaster.com. Television details will be announced at a later date. 

Wake Forest – Steve Forbes returns for a 5th year leading the Demon Deacons, posting a 71-54 record in Winston-Salem. Hunter Sallis (18.0 ppg), the Demon Deacons leading scorer in 2023-24, returns for a second year with Wake Forest. 

Wake Forest Head Coach Steve Forbes: 
“We are excited to face Michigan in the historic Greensboro Coliseum… I’ve known and respected Dusty May for many years and I appreciate his efforts to make this game happen. Playing Michigan in Greensboro gives all our fans in the Triad the opportunity to watch us play a very good Big Ten opponent in a neutral site game.”

Wake Forest Athletic Director John Currie: 
“We are fired up to bring one of the biggest early-season match ups in the nation to the Triad on Sunday November 10th as Coach Forbes and his staff continue to build towards championships coming off what has been the winningest three-year stretch of Wake Forest men’s basketball in nearly two decades. With the Triad rating as the #7 ESPN market in the entire country, I know Tobacco Road basketball fans will create a great atmosphere in the Greensboro Coliseum, both Coach Forbes and Coach May have exciting teams, including all-star returners like Hunter Sallis and talented newcomers ready to prove their mettle in this big time match up. We are proud to bring this game to the historic home of the ACC and the thousands of Deacon fans who call Guilford County home.”

Michigan – Dusty May takes over the Wolverines in 2024-25 after an impressive six years with Florida Atlantic, which included a run to the Final Four. Tre Donaldson, Danny Wolf, and Vlad Goldin highlight an impressive transfer class in May’s first season in Ann Arbor. 

Michigan Head Coach Dusty May: 
“It's a great opportunity to create a unique series with a storied program like Wake Forest. What's more significant, is providing our fan bases a highly competitive game in an exciting, and hopefully tournament-type atmosphere, early in the season over the next two seasons.”

About the Gazelle Group

The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally-recognized college sports events, such as the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, the Gotham Classic, the Sunshine Slam, the College Basketball Invitational, the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, the Barstool Sports Invitational, the Boardwalk Battle, and the Jersey Jam as well as on-campus events at Duke, Kentucky, Ohio State, Marquette and other institutions across the country. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit www.gazellegroup.com.

About the Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro Coliseum, the iconic 22,000-seat arena at the heart of Greensboro Coliseum Complex, has a long history of hosting prestigious sporting events and providing world-class live entertainment. In addition to hosting NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments more than 20 times, including the Men's Final Four in 1974, Greensboro Coliseum has hosted the ACC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments a collective 53 times, the most of any venue for both tournaments. For more information: GreensboroColiseum.com