The Syracuse Orange (19-12, 8-10 ACC) and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-19, 4-14 ACC) go head-to-head in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tourney at Barclays Center. Syracuse opened as a 4-point favorite, while the games Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 133 points. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 6, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPNU.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Syracuse Orange Free Preview
In the Demon Deacons last outing, they were beaten by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 64-56. Wake Forest’s Doral Moore had 12 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks in the game. Georgia Tech did a great job of converting from the charity stripe (18-24; 75.0 percent). Wake Forest, meanwhile, had a better offensive rebounding percentage (29.3 vs. 27.0).
The Orange hope to maintain momentum after narrowly defeating the No. 18 Clemson Tigers in their last contest, 55-52. Syracuse was lifted by Oshae Brissett, who led the team in scoring with 17 points on 4-for-9 shooting. Syracuse dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a turnover percentage of 10.2 (better than their season average of 16.4) and a free throw rate of 0.321 (above their season average of 0.295). For those same stats, Clemson had marks of 18.7 and 0.244, respectively.
The aggressive Syracuse offense might be living from the free throw line in this meeting. The Orange rank 23rd in the NCAA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.296, while Wake Forest is among the NCAA’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 296th-ranked FTA rate of 0.279).
Games involving these teams have a tendency to go under the projected point total. Wake Forest games have gone under 57.1 percent of the time, while Syracuse games have gone under 55.2 percent of the time. The Orange come into this game with a significant advantage in terms of straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) records. They are 19-12 SU and 12-16-1 ATS, while the Demon Deacons are 11-19 SU and 9-19 ATS.
These two teams have met twice already this year, each winning once. In the most recent contest, Tyus Battle scored a game-high 34 points and the Orange defeated the Demon Deacons 78-70, covering as 7.5-point favorites. The two teams combined to put up 148 points, which was 14.5 points above the projected point total of 133.5 points. The Orange dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a fantastic free throw rate of 0.520 and a turnover percentage of 10.6. The Demon Deacons recorded marks of 0.218 and 18.6, respectively, for those same stats.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Syracuse Orange Betting Prediction
Free Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Syracuse, ATS Winner – Syracuse, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Demon Deacons rank 195th in three pointers attempted per game (20.5) while the Orange rank 270th (18.1).
- Syracuse averages 37.5 rebounds per game, which ranks 67th in the NCAA. Wake Forest ranks 132nd in rebounds allowed per game (34.3).
- Wake Forest ranks 134th in assists per game (13.9) while Syracuse ranks 264th (11.1).
- The Orange rank eighth in blocks per game (5.5) while the Demon Deacons rank 132nd in blocks allowed per game (3.5).
- Syracuse ranks 49th in steals per game (7.3) while Wake Forest ranks 160th (5.8).
Betting Trends:
- Syracuse is 2-2-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, Wake Forest is 1-4 ATS with 2 overs, 2 unders and 1 push.
- The Orange have been outscored by an average of 5.0 points in their last five games. On the season, Syracuse has defeated opponents by an average of 3.5 points.
- During their last five games, the Demon Deacons have scored an average of 70.6 points per game (3.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 69.8 points per game (4.6 below their season average).