Wake Forest got some bad news out of the way several hours before its Wednesday night game against USC Upstate.

Coach Steve Forbes announced that sophomore forward Omaha Biliew will miss 8-10 weeks because of a stress-related injury to his right foot.

“Omaha Biliew will be out for 8-10 weeks due to a stress-related injury to his right foot that he experienced in the season opener vs. Coppin State,” Forbes said through a news release. “The injury is to the same foot he injured in May, but he is expected to make a full recovery.”

Biliew is a 6-8, 225-pound transfer from Iowa State. He’s played in each of Wake’s first three games, with Forbes saying after the second one that he was on a minutes restriction.

So, while the news isn’t entirely surprising, it’s a significant blow. Biliew’s defensive versatility, high motor and athleticism made him an option at the 4- or 5-positions on the court. He had 11 points and four rebounds in the opener, and then a combined five points, three rebounds and two assists in the last two games.

If Biliew returns on the early side of the timeline, it’d put him back on the court for the Deacons around early/mid-January. Wake Forest doesn’t have a mid-week game between Jan. 4 (home against N.C. State) and Jan. 11 (at Miami).

If he’s on the later side of that timeline, a late-January return could put him back on the court for Wake’s only game against North Carolina (home on Jan. 21) or its first of two games against Duke (home on Jan. 25).

In the meantime, you’d expect the Deacons will play more of another sophomore forward who transferred into the program — Churchill Abass (DePaul). He’s only played about one minute this season and it was at the end of the Deacons’ game against N.C. A&T.