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The Syracuse Orange (11-9, 3-4) have lost two straight road games, and now return to the Carrier Dome to hopefully right the ship. Though the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-7, 3-4) have never beaten SU in four tries, they’ve won two straight and are looking more improved in league play this year.
So what’s going to happen when the Orange and Wake Forest face off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday? The TNIAAM staff takes some guesses:
Kevin Wall
Syracuse 77, Wake Forest 75
I'm going with Syracuse because it's a home game, and also because I believe that this team has enough pride to want to try and finish the season on a strong note. Losing to Notre Dame was to be expected, but we'll find out about the character of this group on Tuesday night. Wake is a program that is starting to improve, but I think Syracuse can force them to play a little slower game and win behind another strong game from Tyler Lydon
Ari Gilberg
Syracuse 73, Wake Forest 69
This one checks off all three boxes for a Syracuse win. 1). The Orange are at home playing at the Carrier Dome. 2). Syracuse is coming off of a loss. 3). Wake Forest (while better than past seasons) isn’t exactly a top tier team. While I expect Syracuse to win, it won’t be close and it most certainly won’t be pretty. Wake Forest averages 81.7 points per game and five of its seven key contributors shoot above 35 percent from three-point range. However, while the Demon Deacons will give the Orange defense fits, Syracuse will still escape with a narrow win.
Andrew Godnick
Syracuse 75, Wake Forest 71
This one will be fun- well, as fun as it can get for an 11-9 team. Both teams have struggled this year and are looking to get every win they can find. It's going to come down to the wire but a late fourth quarter run by the Orange will be what separates this matchup.
John Cassillo
Syracuse 77, Wake Forest 74
At times, this will be a tough one to watch. And Syracuse could very well find itself the victim of a barrage of threes in the first or second half (despite lacking that one guy who's completely lights-out from deep). Still, the Deacons’ defense isn’t much better than the Orange’s, playing at home helps us, and the talent advantage lends itself to an SU win (even if by the slimmest of margins). Syracuse goes ahead for good in the final five minutes, but you still have several heart issues before it’s over.
What about you?