Syracuse basketball vs. Wake Forest odds, prediction and how to watch

Two slumping Atlantic Coast Conference teams will do battle on Saturday, as Syracuse basketball will host Wake Forest in the 2022-23 regular-season finale for both league squads.

The Orange (16-14, 9-10 in the ACC) has lost four straight games, all in blow-out fashion. The most recent disaster, this past Tuesday night, was a 96-76 setback for the ‘Cuse at home versus Georgia Tech.

During this four-game slide, Syracuse basketball has gotten torched from deep by its opponents, and the Orange continues to have problems holding its own on the glass.

For the Demon Deacons (18-12, 10-9), meanwhile, they have dropped three of their last four encounters. Most recently, this past Tuesday evening, Wake Forest fell at home to Boston College by two points.

Neither Syracuse basketball nor the Demon Deacons are in the discussion for a possible invite to this spring’s Big Dance. The Orange, too, isn’t really a contender for an NIT berth, although Wake Forest could potentially end up getting a bid to that post-season tourney.

Syracuse basketball vs. Wake Forest odds

On Friday evening, actionnetwork.com had the Orange as a 1.5-point betting underdog in the team’s home affair with the Demon Deacons. The over/under was set at 157.5 points.

Syracuse basketball vs. Wake Forest prediction

In their all-time series together, the ‘Cuse holds a 10-2 edge over the Demon Deacons. Most recently, on January 29 of last year, Syracuse basketball crushed Wake Forest on the Hill, 97-72.

At this juncture in 2022-23, the Orange and the Demon Deacons are hovering around the middle of the pack in the ACC standings. It’s entirely possible that these two groups could end up facing off in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

At the time of this writing, Syracuse basketball had a really poor NCAA NET ranking of No. 129, whereas Wake Forest stood at No. 86. The NET, though, can fluctuate daily.

In taking a look at the Demon Deacons’ current resume, they do own a handful of solid wins, over teams such as Duke, Clemson, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Wake Forest is one of the higher-scoring squads in the conference, which doesn’t bode well for Syracuse basketball. The Demon Deacons average 77.2 points per game.

And the ‘Cuse defense, by extension, has allowed at least 91 points in its last three games, when the Orange suffered defeats at Clemson, at Pittsburgh and at home versus Georgia Tech.

To make matters worse, Wake Forest connects on a strong 37.1 percent from beyond the arc. During its present four-game losing streak, the ‘Cuse has proven awful in defending the 3-point line.

I hate to be a pessimist here, but I will forecast the Demon Deacons to knock off Syracuse basketball in Central New York this Saturday.

Injuries, how to watch, live stream, next game
On the injury front, freshman big man Peter Carey is out for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign, Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim has said.

The 6-foot-11 Carey, a power forward/center, has had a surgical procedure done on his right knee and is expected to take a medical redshirt this year, Boeheim has said.

We’ll certainly continue to monitor the injury front for the ‘Cuse in the current stanza.

The Orange and the Demon Deacons will tip off at 5 pm at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, March 4. Regional sports networks will air this duel.

March 4, by the way, is senior day for the ‘Cuse, as well as a 20th-anniversary celebration of the Orange’s 2003 national-championship squad.

For Syracuse basketball and Wake Forest fans who want to stream this game, you can check it out on fuboTV.

After the ‘Cuse plays the Demon Deacons, Syracuse basketball will have at least one game in the ACC Tournament, which this season takes place in Greensboro, N.C.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.