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Men's Basketball

Beat writers split over outcome of Syracuse-Wake Forest on Wednesday

Codie Yan | Staff Photographer

Oshae Brissett and Syracuse will pick up a win Wednesday, at least according to two of our beat writers.

Syracuse (12-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) takes on Wake Forest (7-6, 0-1 ACC) on Wednesday evening in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Orange is coming off a double-digit victory against Virginia Tech in its conference opener, while the Demon Deacons most recently dropped a four-point contest against No. 12 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Here’s what our beat writers have to say about the matchup.

Sam Fortier (12-2)
Can’t see the Forest for the trees
Syracuse 67, Wake Forest 63

When Wake Forest collapsed down the stretch against North Carolina, it was a familiar result and a familiar way to get there. The Tar Heels battled back into the game by swarming the offensive boards against the Demon Deacons, one of the worst squads in the nation at holding its opponents back on the glass. Syracuse is the third-best team in the country in that regard and should combine that advantage with its defensive strength against Wake Forest, a less-prolific version of Virginia Tech on offense, and ride it to the win. Wake Forest has never beaten Syracuse (0-5) and this team, which struggles with consistency, will have a hard time stringing things together to overcome the Orange.

Matthew Gutierrez (12-2)
It’s where their demons hide
Wake Forest 65, Syracuse 60

Saturday at No. 12 North Carolina, the Demon Deacons looked complete in a four-point loss. It wasn’t until UNC head coach Roy Williams went with a small lineup that Wake Forest lost traction in the final minutes. Otherwise, the Demon Deacons are a sneaky good team that, despite stalling their way to an 0-3 start, put together a six-game winning streak before a loss to then-No. 19 Tennessee. They have struggled late to close out games, which will make this tight down the wire, but WFU pulls away at home for a win.



Tomer Langer (12-2)
Overcoming demons
Syracuse 72, Wake Forest 67

Syracuse was kept out of the NCAA Tournament last season because of an inability to win games away from the Carrier Dome. The Orange basically stole one at Georgetown a few weeks ago, but now gets a chance against a stronger, in-conference opponent. And even though Wake Forest is better than its 7-6 record would indicate, I’ll still take Syracuse. SU’s defense should be able to contain the Demon Deacons. Meanwhile, Wake Forest ranks 322rd out of 351 teams in 3-point defense per Kenpom.com. And while SU is fairly weak on the season from out there, point guard Frank Howard has quietly hit 11-of-21 from deep over the last four games. His hot play will continue and SU starts off conference play with two straight wins.





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