Syracuse basketball loses on dagger 3-pointer, tough season comes to end

Syracuse basketball hoped to sweep its 2022-23 series with Wake Forest on Wednesday afternoon in the ACC Tournament’s second round, but the Demon Deacons crushed those hopes with a 3-pointer at the game’s conclusion.

Last Saturday, on senior day, the Orange defeated Wake Forest by nine points. But on Wednesday at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., the No. 9 seed Demon Deacons prevailed, 77-74, over the No. 8 seed Syracuse basketball.

With its loss in the ACC Tournament, the ‘Cuse is now 17-15 overall. I can’t envision the team getting a berth in the NIT, so the 2022-23 season has likely come to a halt for Syracuse basketball in a disappointing fashion.

After reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 in 2021, the Orange has gone 16-17 and 17-15 during the two most recent stanzas, missing the post-season in both 2021-22 and 2022-23.

That’s utterly frustrating for Orange Nation. And in the coming weeks and months, we’ll have to see what happens with the current roster as it pertains to the NCAA’s transfer portal, as well as what the future holds for long-time head coach Jim Boeheim.

Syracuse basketball fell in a heartbreaker to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament.

Sophomore forward Benny Williams was really good against the Demon Deacons, as he tallied 18 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.

Freshman point guard Judah Mintz struggled from the field, but he did have 18 points and seven assists.

Freshman forward Chris Bell chipped in 11 points. Senior center Jesse Edwards tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds. He had 27 points and 20 boards versus the Demon Deacons over the weekend.

One issue for the Orange in this setback is that the ‘Cuse only managed six points out of its bench. Syracuse basketball held its own on the glass, and the Orange generated an impressive 14 steals.

The ‘Cuse was a stellar 10-of-17 from downtown, while the Demon Deacons hit on just 9-of-28 from beyond the arc, but Wake Forest connected on the most important one when it counted the most.

All in all, the Demon Deacons (19-13) made three more field goals than the Orange, while the ‘Cuse had two more points than its foe at the charity stripe.

So this ACC Tournament affair really was as closely fought as possible, and Wake Forest simply made the last shot. A bitter pill to swallow for Syracuse basketball fans, as the squad heads into the off-season with a ton of questions and following lackluster performances over the past two terms.