You don’t know what you don’t know. You can think you know; but certainty only comes with experience.

Confusing enough?

It’s a roundabout way of saying that a college basketball coaches can have all the measurable faith in a freshman to perform in the moments; but there’s no way to be sure of that until they’re thrown into that first big test.

Now you get the hint.

Wake Forest freshman wing Juke Harris drew rave reviews for the early impression he made over the summer. His name was still popping among leading scorers in October scrimmages. And he acquitted himself well in limited action in Wake’s first two games last week.

But playing teammates in controlled environments is one thing; playing Coppin State and North Carolina A&T, with all due respect, is another thing; and playing Michigan in the Deacons’ first big test of the season is yet another thing.

Harris, in that last one: 11 points in the first half of Wake’s 72-70 win over Michigan on Sunday, providing a jolt when the Deacons most needed it.

“I think you’ve just gotta put him in there and see,” coach Steve Forbes said when asked if, as his coach, he had sense Harris would be equipped for a moment like that. “I mean, he wasn’t (afraid of the moment) in practice. When he got here in the summertime, I was like, ‘Oh, OK. All right, Juke. You’re gonna play.’”

This isn’t meant to blow things out of proportion. Harris scored the third-most points for Wake Forest and was scoreless in the second half.

It’s the timing of when he entered the game and started clicking — around the time the Deacons’ offense was stagnant in the first 10 minutes against Michigan, when the Wolverines led 18-6.

And considering Harris is the lone freshman in Wake’s rotation that boasts four starters in their fourth seasons of college basketball, it’s impressive he’s the one who was leading the way.

“You just don’t know about any — I don’t care if they’re transfers or high school recruits,” Forbes said, “you just don’t know until they get in the fire.”

“He’s got a high basketball IQ, that helps. And he has a lot of confidence in himself,” Forbes added. “And he’s still learning, a lot. But yeah, sounds like he’s going to be a crowd favorite, too.”

We know that much.

Just don’t know how many U’s to put in “Juuuuuuuuuuuuke” for the crowd’s reaction to him.

Here’s what to know ahead of Wednesday night’s game:

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Joel Coliseum.

TV: ACC Network Extra.

Announcers: Evan Lepler (play-by-play), Stan Lewter (analyst) and Matison Little (sidelines).

Series; last meeting: Wake Forest leads 2-0; Wake Forest won 79-53 in Dec. 2021, when Alondes Williams had a 16-point, 14-rebound, 10-assist triple-double.

Records: USC Upstate 1-2; Wake Forest 3-0.

Stat to watch: 40.9%.

That’s the percentage of offensive rebounds surrendered by USC Upstate in its two games against Division I opponents this season, per KenPom.

The Spartans lost 97-66 to N.C. State on opening night of the season, and lost 93-74 at Virginia Tech on Friday night. They’ll make it three of four games against ACC foes with Wednesday night’s game at Wake Forest — the only exception was a 103-70 win over Division III Piedmont University last week.

The Wolfpack and Hokies were both able to extend possessions against a USC Upstate team that was also weak on the glass last season (allowed 34.3% offensive rebound clip, 349th in country, per KenPom). N.C. State had 14 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points; Virginia Tech had 12 offensive rebounds and 17 second-chance points.

Matchup to watch: USC Upstate’s Mister Dean (No. 5) vs. Wake’s Tre’Von Spillers (No. 25).

Come for the name; stay for Dean’s credentials.

He’s a 6-6, 210-pound freshman who has scored 14, 25 and 20 points in USC Upstate’s three games. The 25-point game was the Spartans’ win against Piedmont University, so take that with a qualifier. But he was 12-for-12 from the field in that game — hard to do against any opponent, regardless of competition level.

Dean didn’t take a 3-pointer in either of the first two games but was 1-for-3 from outside against Virginia Tech. He’s had two blocks in each of the last two games.

It looks like he’ll be matched up against Spillers to start the game, and then Omaha Biliew when he rotates in at the 4-position. Spillers is obviously on his own heater to start the season, having scored in double figures in each of the last two games — along with a 16-rebound performance against N.C. A&T, and a 6-for-7 shooting display against Michigan.

Spartan to watch: Forward Nic Book (No. 8).

Well, aside from Mr. Dean, of course.

This is one to keep an eye on in pre-game coverage, as Book missed USC Upstate’s game against Virginia Tech.

But when he’s been out there, the freshman from New Zealand has been decent; he had 10 points and nine rebounds against N.C. State and 14 points, nine rebounds against Piedmont University, going 7-for-7 from the field (did anybody miss against Piedmont?!).

Deacon to watch: Guard Ty-Laur Johnson (No. 8).

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because we didn’t see him against Michigan, Johnson will be relegated to the bench for most of the season.

Wake Forest has to bring along its transfer guard slowly — an oxymoron, given how much of a blur he is on the court — and didn’t trust him to play minutes against the Wolverines.

Taking a backward in competition level, you’d expect to see Johnson get a healthy dose of minutes against USC Upstate. The main requirement for those minutes has to be cutting down on his turnovers — he committed six of them in Wake’s first two games.

What’s on deck: Wake Forest heads onto the road for the first time and it’s a big one.

The Deacons are at Xavier on Saturday for a rekindling of the Skip Prosser Classic. The Musketeers are 2-0 in Year 3 of Sean Miller 2.0 (he coached there from 2005-09, also) and have a third game against a low-major on Tuesday night (Jackson State).

USC Upstate is finished with ACC opponents after this one and plays UNC Wilmington on Friday night.

KenPom prediction: Wake Forest wins 88-62.

What a Wake Forest loss looks like: Right away, go to the shooting numbers. If Wake Forest continues to shoot around 24-30% on 3-pointers, it’s going to open the door for a loss.

The Deacons would probably have to play their worst defensive game of the season to lose this one, too.

And USC Upstate would have to shoot 3s at the level it did against its Division III opponent (13-for-28 in that game) instead of the combined 12-for-42 it shot against the two ACC teams it’s played already.

What a Wake Forest win looks like: The defensive intensity has been at a high level for all three games and if that carries into this game, Wake Forest probably can’t lose. The Deacons’ length and athleticism can be overwhelming and they’re probably due for it to start leading to even more fast-break chances.

While not a requirement for a Deacons win, it’d be a nice step forward if Wake’s long-range shooting heated up. Both because of impatience and riding a wave to Xavier for the first road game of the season, the Deacons knocking down double-digit 3s — and not needing an inordinate amount of attempts to do so — would be the most encouraging of developments.