Just because Wake Forest dug too big of a hole for itself to climb out of in its final game doesn’t remove the positive steps taken for the Deacons’ program this season.

Wake Forest lost at Texas A&M 67-52 in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Wednesday night, capping the season at 25 wins – the most for the Deacons since the 2004-05 season.

“What a great group of guys that we have, to win 25 games this season is incredible,” coach Steve Forbes said. “They have nothing to hang their head about. … We’ve got great momentum with our program and I’m excited for the future.”

Texas A&M advances to the NIT semifinals, in which it will play either BYU or Washington State next week in Madison Square Garden.

Wake Forest’s season falls one win shy of getting to New York, ending after two wins in the NIT served as at least something of a cleanser from a disappointing ACC tournament loss.

“We had the opportunity to play again after we had a tough loss to BC in the ACC tournament,” Forbes said. “I was talking about that in there, how much character they showed to beat Towson and beat VCU.

“That’s what I’ll remember. … I’ll remember all of the good things with these guys because they brought respect back to our program.”

What wound up being the season finale was certainly a forgettable game for the Deacons on the offensive end.

An abysmal start saw Wake Forest (25-10) shoot under 15% in the first half – and the possessions that ended in a missed shot were at least better than the 12 first-half possessions that ended with a turnover.

The Deacons played better – really, how could it have gotten worse? – in the second half, making 14 of 26 shots. Turnovers were still an issue, with the Deacons finishing with 21 of them – one shy of a season-high.

“It felt like we couldn’t even throw a rock into the ocean at times,” senior Isaiah Mucius said of the Deacons’ offense in the first half. “And it was at both ends. They were really only getting a lot of points off of our turnovers.

“We were getting really great looks. We were sticking to our game plan … we just didn’t hit shots.”

So ends Forbes’ second season at the helm for Wake Forest, having gone from a slogging 6-16, COVID-derailed first season to a 19-win improvement and only the program’s second postseason tournament in the past 12 seasons.

“I wanted to make sure I gave everything I got,” said Mucius, who will decided in the next few weeks whether he returns for Wake Forest next season. “Our season was unbelievable, 25 wins going from six wins. Being a part of that and going through that, us battling … is something I hold dear to my heart.”

The Deacons never led Wednesday night’s game and trailed by double digits a little more than five minutes into the game.

By halftime, Wake Forest’s points (15) had a narrow edge on turnovers (12). Eight of nine Deacons who played in the first half committed at least one turnover, and they shot 4-for-27 from the field, 1-for-14 from 3-point range.

Carter Whitt played for the first time since the Feb. 23 loss at Clemson. He had one assist and one turnover in four minutes.