Watch: Wake Forest teammates embrace Efton Reid after NCAA waiver finally granted

"We are delighted and excited for Efton Reid as his waiver for immediate eligibility has been granted," said head coach Steve Forbes in an official statement on Tuesday.

"Elected as a captain by his teammates a few weeks ago, Efton is a tremendous young man. Our staff and his teammates have rallied around Efton since his arrival to Wake Forest and he has made an immeasurable impact on our program in a multitude of ways."

The decision to finally let Reid play is a massive one for head coach Steve Forbes and the Demon Deacons, who were picked to finish sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte in October but have gotten off to a tough 4-3 start. 

But with this news following a gutsy comeback win against Florida in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Nov. 29, there should once again be belief in Winston-Salem that the Deacs can finally return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since losing to Kansas State in 2017's First Four. 

Despite a trio of early losses, all three setbacks have come to Power 5 teams in LSU, Georgia and Utah. While none of those teams are currently ranked in the AP Top 25, more than half of Wake's total games have come against high-major programs.  

While there aren't moral victories when the NCAA selection committee looks at a bubble team's resume, the trial by fire Forbes and company have battled through — along with hopefully adding injured sharp-shooter Damari Monsanto this month after tearing his patella tendon in February — could lift a fully healthy squad off of the bubble entirely. 

That mission starts with their third-ever matchup with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston on Wednesday.