Syracuse basketball hits the road for its next two Atlantic Coast Conference affairs, and the Orange will head to Wake Forest on Saturday evening in a clash of two teams that have each lost two straight games.
The 'Cuse, most recently, has gotten blown out by Duke and North Carolina. The Orange is nowhere close to the conversation for an at-large invite to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and it's likely that a new head coach and assistant staff will be brought in after the 2025-26 campaign is over.
Currently, Syracuse basketball (15-13 overall, 6-9 in ACC) is one game ahead of the Demon Deacons (14-14 overall, 5-10 in ACC) in the conference standings. It is expected that the 'Cuse will qualify for next month's ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., which will take place from March 10 until March 14.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at Wake Forest on Saturday night.
The Orange and the Demon Deacons are scheduled to tip off beginning at 5:45 pm EST on Saturday, Feb. 28, from the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C., with television coverage on The CW Network.
Per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 11-5 in its all-time series with Wake Forest, although the Demon Deacons have taken the past three encounters.
At present, the Orange has an NCAA NET ranking of No. 78, as compared to No. 68 for Wake Forest. This is a quadrant-one opportunity for the 'Cuse. Syracuse basketball, to date, has one quadrant-one victory, while the Demon Deacons have none.
Over at KenPom, SU is No. 76 overall. Wake Forest is No. 80. The Demon Deacons score 78.8 points per contest and allow 76.9 points. They average 33.0 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 8.4 steals, 3.4 blocks and 10.9 turnovers per game while making 44.8 percent from the field, 76.5 percent from the free-throw line and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc.
On the flip side, Syracuse basketball averages 75.6 points per affair and give up 73.4 points. The 'Cuse also averages 34.8 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 6.5 steals, 6.2 blocks and 11.2 turnovers per contest while connecting on 46.9 percent from the field, 63.4 percent from the charity stripe and 33.0 percent from 3-point land.
Syracuse basketball, which has struggled on defense for the most part in ACC competition, will have to hone in on Wake Forest sophomore guard Juke Harris, who averages 21.7 points per game, which is No. 3 in the league. The 6-foot-7 Harris shoots 46.1 percent from the field, 77.4 percent from the free-throw line and 35.2 percent from downtown.