Syracuse vs Wake Forest Odds
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -110 | 152.5 -110o / -110u | +325 |
| Wake Forest Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -110 | 152.5 -110o / -110u | -450 |
The ACC is a power conference in need of more NCAA Tournament-caliber teams.
Right now, the only solidified tournament teams are Duke and North Carolina, so if Wake Forest or Syracuse emerge as tournament options, it'll go a long way. On Saturday afternoon, the Orange and Demon Deacons face off in Winston Salem, N.C.
If you're looking for the best way to bet the game, here's my pick for Syracuse vs. Wake Forest.
Syracuse Orange
Syracuse is a very poor offensive team and ranks 153rd in offensive efficiency. In conference play, the Orange rank 14th out of 15 teams. Given that, it's not a surprise that Syracuse struggles to shoot the 3 as it makes just 32% of its attempts. Judah Mintz is the Orange's best offensive player, but there's really nobody who consistently helps him out. It's either Mintz or nothing.
Coach Adrian "Red" Autry entirely scraped the zone defense principles that Jim Boeheim relied on throughout his career. Syracuse looks much better with its new defensive scheme, ranking 29th nationally in defensive efficiency. Syracuse shows a new, aggressive defensive identity and forces turnovers on 22% of its defensive possessions. That's a major imcrease from a season ago and has turned the Orange into a defensive-first squad.
Syracuse has struggled on the road in conference play, losing three of four games away from the Carrier Dome. If the Orange want to creep into the NCAA tournament discussion, they'll need some road victories.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest finds itself in dire need of a victory to stay in the NCAA Tournament discussion. Wake has done just enough in the past two seasons to fall out of the NCAA Tournament, though it hopes this season will be different. The Demon Deacons blew a sizable road lead against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, which resulted in a second-straight road loss. That loss makes this game even more important.
Steve Forbes deploys one of the top offenses in the ACC. The Deacons offense ranks 37th in offensive efficiency and is fueled by a strong attack from guards Hunter Sallis and Kevin Miller. Both average over 16 points per game, though Sallis is the main bucket-getter of the bunch.
Wake Forest isn't a super high-volume shooting team, but it connects on 37% of its 3s, which ranks 27th in college hoops. That's a major strength for the Deacons, and it'll need to show up against Syracuse.
Wake Forest could overwhelm Syracuse on the boards. Syracuse lacks size without 7-foot-3 Naheem McLeod, and the rebounding has suffered. The Orange rank in the bottom three in ACC play in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage. Those numbers look even worse compared to Wake Forest's top-ranked defensive rebounding percentage in conference play.
Ready to get in on the Wake Forest betting action in North Carolina? You’ll soon be able to join in on NC sports betting, as the state is expected to come online in 2024.
Syracuse vs. Wake Forest
Betting Pick & Prediction
I could see Syracuse getting steamrolled in this game — on the road against a desperate team. Those aren't ideal conditions and paired with Wake Forest's matchup advantages, I'll back the home team.
