Syracuse vs. Wake Forest basketball: Scouting the Demon Deacons

As we know by now, the Syracuse Orange return home to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacs on Tuesday. Both teams are 3-4 in the ACC so Tuesday’s game figures to be an important matchup in terms of conference standings. So what can we expect from Wake?

The Demon Deacons come into the week ranked No. 36 overall in Ken Pom. It scores at a pretty impressive clip — 119.1 points per 100 possessions, to be precise. That’s good for 13th overall in the nation. Wake also has an RPI of 22. Those expecting an easy win Tuesday are in for a rude awakening.

So how in the world is WF ranked so high? For starters, it has played a rigorous schedule to this point. Although it doesn’t have a win over a top-50 opponent, it has played the fourth toughest schedule in the country which includes Villanova and Xavier in the non-conference.

Wake is led by super sophomore John Collins who averages close to a double-double with 16.6 points and 8.8 rebound per. He shoots an incredible 60 percent from the floor and gets to the line six times per game. Needless to say, Syracuse will have to limit his paint touches within the 2-3 zone — defending the high post will of course be instrumental. Bryant Crawford makes it happen off the bounce while Keyshawn Woods is a steady counterpart who can mix it up.

Syracuse fans will remember Konstantinos Mitoglou, the junior from Greece who came into the dome two seasons ago and dropped 26 on the 2014-2015 Orange team. He’s averaging double-figures but isn’t shooting the long ball as well as in seasons past. Nonetheless, Syracuse will still have to find him outside of the arc and on the boards.

The game tips off at 8 pm from the Carrier Dome on Tuesday. See highlights from last year’s game below.