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MIAMI — When Wake Forest junior guard Ishmael Smith was parking his car before the Deacons headed to the NCAA tournament, a police officer wished him luck and offered a brief history of Cleveland State.

"The last time that Cleveland State was in the tournament in 1986," Smith recalled the officer saying, "it upset Bobby Knight's Indiana team. Don't let it happen to you guys."

Fourth-seeded Wake (24-6) has no intention of allowing an Indiana repeat in their Midwest Regional first-round game tonight at 9:40 against the 13th-seeded Vikings (25-10) at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"Being from Cleveland," center Chris Moore said of the 83-79 win over Indiana in 1986, "that's something still talked about in the city. It is an honor to be compared to those guys, but we're trying to create our legacy."

In winning their first 17 games, the Deacons controlled the paint, took care of the ball, scored in transition and played good defense.

Then, they slipped to an 8-6 finish, including a 75-64 loss to Maryland in a quarterfinal of the ACC tournament at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

"It is a matter of being smarter," senior guard Harvey Hale said. "We can't settle for 3-pointers. We've got to pound the ball inside."

The Deacons outscored opponents by 501 points, an average of 44-27 per game, in the paint. They were 17-1 when they scored 80 or more points.

"When we won 17 straight," freshman Al-Farouq Aminu said, "we weren't behind very much and didn't have to worry about patience."

Gary Waters, who coached Cleveland State to a 57-54 victory at Butler to win the Horizon League tournament and earn a NCAA berth, knows what his Vikings must do to have a chance.

"This is a big stage," Waters said. "The players are going be starry-eyed. We have to be sure that they understand the terrain. If they are just excited to be here, they'll be just as excited to leave.

"You have to control the tempo. If the high-major team plays its tempo, the game is over. They want to score 81 points, get out and have a highlight reel. If we allow it, we'll enjoy the highlights."

The Deacons' frontline of James Johnson (6-feet-9), Aminu (6-9) and Chas McFarland (7-0) is much bigger than Moore (6-9), J'Nathan Bullock (6-5) and Norris Cole (6-1) and provides a clear advantage.

"The place to win the game is inside," said Johnson, who is averaging 19.4 points and 11 rebounds in his last seven games. "Since the loss to Maryland (in the ACC tournament), we have worked hard on our inside game."

In the 8-6 finish, the Deacons were hurt by their impatience when they didn't hit 3-pointers. It led to turnovers and breakdowns on defense.

"We need to make shots," coach Dino Gaudio said. "We missed 52 shots against Maryland and only had nine turnovers. We have to control the boards and make shots."

Wake Forest has to be aware of Cleveland State's defense, which is giving up just 58.9 points per game. Guard Cedric Jackson has 104 steals, second in the country.

"We know about their defense," guard Jeff Teague said. "I might have to hit a 3-pointer or two to make the defense respect our outside shooting."

Cleveland State doesn't know whether the Wake Forest team that won 17 in a row or lost in the ACC tournament will show up.

"The longer the game is close," Waters said, "the more the pressure will be on them. They are expected to win.

"If you have been through the ACC and aren't ready to play in this, you're in trouble."

Johnson believes inconsistency is the big reason the Deacons are projected anywhere from the Final Four to out the door early.

"We beat No. 1 Duke," he said, "and then lost by 27 to Miami, a team we should have beaten. I understand why people feel the way they do, but we are a young team.

"Before losing to Maryland, we won six in a row. We aren't going to underestimate any team now, because it only takes one loss and you go home."