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GREENSBORO — College basketball programs are defined by their performance in March, and despite all Wake Forest has achieved under Dino Gaudio, Thursday marked another listless effort in the sport's decisive month.

Wake Forest had a No. 5 seed in the ACC tournament and a spot in the familiar Greensboro Coliseum, but the Deacons imploded in an 83-62 loss to No. 12 Miami that had some fans booing by first half's end.

Wake is now 0-3 in the ACC tournament under Gaudio. Wake's only NCAA appearance in that span was last year's 84-69 opening loss to Cleveland State.

"Coming into March, we are usually riding high," senior David Weaver said. "Something just doesn't click. March just doesn't pan out."

No, it doesn't, and the reasons for Thursday's loss were all too familiar for Wake fans — poor shooting, marginal defense and an inability to score in transition. But a lingering problem, and one several Deacons raised, was the team's inability to recover when the flow of the game went against them.

"When we got down, it snowballed," senior L.D. Williams said.

That's a change from the confident Deacons team of earlier in the season. The Deacons looked poised and sure of themselves beating teams like Gonzaga, Xavier and North Carolina. After all, this is a veteran club with four seniors on the roster and a sophomore, Al-Farouq Aminu, who will weigh his NBA options after the season.

"We had a look in our eye earlier in the year where we just weren't going to lose the game," Gaudio said.

That look is gone now. The Deacons had lost four of their last five going into Thursday and looked rudderless as the Hurricanes jumped to a 16-8 lead.

Wake Forest had some moments, usually when Ish Smith forced his way into the lane to convert a drive, but Miami matched every Wake run.

The Deacons limped off the court with a 4-7 record in March over three seasons as Weaver watched his team, again, struggle at the end of the season.

"At times when we get down, we seem to lack a sense of urgency," Weaver said.

The question now is whether Wake's 19-10 record will be good enough for the NCAA field. Gaudio argued that his team's "body of work" is deserving of a bid, but even he doesn't know what's Sunday's Selection Show will bring.

"It remains to be seen," he said. "I don't know. We'll have to see like everyone else."

Why Miami won

The Hurricanes answered every Deacons run, and you could see Wake’s discouragement grow. When Ish Smith scooped in a miraculous drive, Durand Scott responded with a 3-pointer for Miami and a 22-15 lead. And when Smith scored in transition and drew cheers from Wake fans, the Canes’ muscular Reggie Johnson responded with a pair of free throws.

Why Wake Forest lost

The Deacons never found an offensive rhythm against Miami’s aggressive 2-3 zone defense. Wake was a dreadful 4-for-17 from 3-point range and generated most of its offense when Smith zoomed to the basket on drives.

Play of the game

Miami had a 62-43 lead when redshirt freshman Reggie Johnson went up for a dunk on two Deacons. Johnson didn’t just dunk it — he put his entire 6-foot-10, 295-pound body into this one and Wake was helpless to stop it. Oh, and Johnson is from Winston-Salem.

The key player

Wake is at its best when Al-Farouq Aminu is the center of the offense. The Deacons tried to force the ball into Aminu early and he scored some baskets, but he was less of a factor as the game progressed. Aminu re-injured his ailing right wrist — even air-balling a free throw — and made only three shots in the game.

What they’re saying

“You can’t teach energy. You can’t teach emotion. That’s something you’ve got to come out with. We didn’t.” — Ish Smith, Wake Forest point guard

“When we got down, it snowballed.” — L.D. Williams, Wake Forest swingman

“I actually believe that Skip was watching, but was going for the Deacs, but was with me, also. It kind of freaked me out a little bit knowing that Coach Prosser used to be the coach at Wake Forest, but I’m glad we got the win. It couldn’t be a better moment for me right now.” — Reggie Johnson, Miami player from Winston-Salem, on his relationship with the late Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser

“The key to the game was our ability to not turn the ball over and get back in transition on defense. And, obviously, we were able to shoot the ball.” — Frank Haith, Miami coach and Elon University alumnus

Noting the game

Wake’s Ari Stewart looked tentative for much of the game and missed eight of nine shots. Stewart was 1-for-7 from 3-point range. ... Miami center Reggie Johnson, by comparison, was 8-for-8 and scored 22 points. Johnson’s previous career high was 13 points. … Attendance was listed at 23,381 but the Greensboro Coliseum was a little more than half-full.

MIAMI (19-12) — Scott 2-10 1-2 6, Dews 6-12 2-4 15, Jones 5-7 2-2 14, Johnson 8-8 6-6 22, Gamble 3-5 2-2 8, Grant 3-7 2-2 9, Quigtar 0-0 0-0 0, Allen 0-0 0-0 0, McGowan 0-1 0-0 0, Adams 0-1 0-0 0, Thomas 3-7 0-0 9. Totals 30-58 15-18 83.

WAKE FOREST (19-10) — Aminu 3-10 5-7 11, Smith 7-14 0-0 14, Harris 2-7 4-4 10, McFarland 1-2 2-3 4, Williams 0-5 2-5 2, Clark 1-3 0-0 3, Stewart 1-9 0-0 3, Godwin 0-0 0-0 0, Weaver 1-1 2-4 4, Woods 4-6 3-5 11. Totals 20-57 18-28 62.

Miami 41 42 — 83
Wake Forest 27 35 — 62

Percentages—Miami (FG .517, FT .833), Wake Forest (FG .351, FT .643).

3-point goals—Miami 8-17 (Thomas 3-6, Jones 2-3, Scott 1-2, Dews 1-3, Grant 1-3), Wake Forest 4-17 (Harris 2-4, Clark 1-3, Stewart 1-7, Aminu 0-1, Smith 0-2).

Fouled out—None.

Rebounds—Miami 39 (Gamble 13), Wake Forest 34 (Williams 9).

Assists—Miami 14 (Grant 5), Wake Forest 6 (Smith 5).

Blocked shots—Miami 4 (Gamble 3), Wake Forest 5 (Aminu 2).

Turnovers—Miami 8 (Scott 2), Wake Forest 10 (Aminu 4).

Steals—Miami 4 (Thomas, Jones, Johnson, Dews), Wake Forest 5 (Harris 3).

Total fouls—Miami 22, Wake Forest 15.

A—23,381.

Officials—Jamie Luckie, Ray Natili, Mike Eades.