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Syracuse will play its final game of 2024 when it takes on Wake Forest in the JMA Wireless Dome Tuesday. The Orange capped their 11-game nonconference slate with a win over Bucknell, following their abysmal 27-point loss to Maryland on Dec. 21. Against the Bison, Eddie Lampkin Jr. led Syracuse with 18 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, while Donnie Freeman added 15 points.

Syracuse’s battle with WF will be its second Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season after it opened conference play on Dec. 7 with a 69-64 loss to Notre Dame. The matchup with the Demon Deacons will be SU’s first home ACC contest.

It’s the first of 19 straight ACC games for the Orange, as they look to piece together their season after an inconsistent first 12 games. So far, they’ve lost all five games against Power Four schools, but beating Wake could provide some positives heading into the new year.

Here’s everything to know about Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1 ACC) before it takes on Syracuse (6-6, 0-1 ACC):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 11-4.

Last time they played …

On Feb. 3, 2024, Syracuse was flat-out embarrassed on the road, getting blown out 99-70. The defeat was SU’s worst of the season, as Wake Forest never trailed. The Orange allowed the Demon Deacons to shoot 66% from the field and finish 12-of-19 from beyond the arc. The loss was so bad it prompted an apology from head coach Adrian Autry postgame.

J.J. Starling led Syracuse with 15 points with Judah Mintz (13), Quadir Copeland (11) and Justin Taylor (10) all finishing in double figures. Still, the Orange shot just 40% as a team and trailed by double digits for the final 26:34.

KenPom Odds

Syracuse has a 57% chance to win, with a projected score of 73-71.

The Demon Deacons report

Wake Forest is coming off a 21-win season where it made the second round of the National Invitational Tournament. The Demon Deacons retained leading-scorer Hunter Salis and third-leading scorer Cameron Hildreth, yet lost key pieces like Andrew Carr and Kevin Miller to the transfer portal. As a result, they brought in six transfers, but none of them have made a big impact.

Wake’s marquee win this season came on the road against Michigan on Nov. 10. Since then, it’s lost three straight games to top-25 teams, all of which have come by double digits. First, WF fell to then-No. 18 Florida, followed by defeats to then-No. 22 Texas A&M and most recently, then-No. 25 Clemson.

The Demon Deacons pride themselves on their defense, sporting a defensive rating of 98.2, the 45th-best mark in the country. They allow an effective field goal percentage of 45.6% (37th-best in the nation), and their opponents hit just 31% of their 3-pointers. On the flip side, Wake Forest has a below-average offense, averaging 67.5 points per game, the second-lowest in the ACC.

How Syracuse beats Wake Forest

Syracuse needs to take care of the basketball, which it hasn’t done in the past two games. It’s turned the ball over 21 times against both Maryland and Bucknell. In a conference matchup with Wake, that could come back to haunt SU.

The Orange also need to keep feeding Lampkin early and often. Against Bucknell, he established himself in the first half, giving SU a boost. With how much Syracuse has struggled on the perimeter this year, its easiest way to score is to get the ball down low.

Stat to know: 26.5%

As bad as Syracuse has been shooting this season, Wake Forest has performed worse. The Demon Deacons are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, hitting just 26.5% of their 3s this season. According to Ken Pom, there are only seven squads with a worse 3-point shooting percentage, none of which are Power Four teams.

Just because WF doesn’t hit 3s at a high rate doesn’t mean it doesn’t attempt a lot. Its 302 attempts are the ninth-most in the ACC, but it’s made the third-least. Ironically, the Demon Deacons are the only team with a worse 3-point percentage than Syracuse, which is knocking down 29.1% of its looks.

Player to watch: Hunter Sallis, guard, No. 23

Sallis led Wake Forest in scoring last year and decided to return for his senior season after withdrawing his name from the NBA Draft in May. The Preseason All-ACC pick is once again pacing the Demon Deacons in scoring with 17.8 points per game. He’s reached double figures in all but two of WF’s games this year and is averaging 26.5 points over his past two contests.

Sallis is usually a strong 3-point shooter but has struggled in that department this season. He hit 75 last year at a 40.5% rate, but in 13 games, Sallis is connecting on 27% of his 3s. Despite his lack of 3-point shooting this season, the senior will still be a handful on the perimeter for Syracuse on Tuesday.

Published on December 30, 2024 at 4:27 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22