Previewing Syracuse men’s basketball’s road test at Wake Forest
Syracuse men’s basketball is just 4-14 on the road the last two seasons — a stark difference from Wake Forest’s prolific 23-9 home record. Zoe Xixis | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse’s disappointing third regular season under Adrian Autry is nearing its end. With just three games to go before the Orange trek to Charlotte for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, SU is in position to play in the competition’s opening round, where it’ll have to run the table to keep its season alive.
Everyone knows what’s on the line, and what the results mean for Autry’s future. SU recently had two more Quad 1 opportunities against Duke and North Carolina, but squandered both.
“We haven’t made the plays that we needed to make,” Autry said Monday. “The plays in the margin have been the difference in our season.”
Syracuse kicks off its final road trip of the season against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are right in the mix for similar seeding with the Orange, and beat possible NCAA Tournament teams, Virginia Tech and Clemson, at home already.
Here’s everything to know about Wake Forest (14-14, 5-10 ACC) before it faces Syracuse (15-13, 6-9 ACC) Saturday in Winston-Salem:
All time series
Syracuse leads 11-5.
Last time they played
Syracuse’s last matchup with Wake Forest came back in 2024 on New Year’s Eve, where the Orange opened their home ACC slate with a double-digit loss. In the contest, guards Kyle Cuffe Jr., Lucas Taylor and Jaquan Carlos combined for 46 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Donnie Freeman combining for a lackluster 15. J.J. Starling didn’t play due to a hand injury.
The Orange trailed by two at halftime and went cold from 3 in the second half, making only 1-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, guard Hunter Sallis played from wire to wire and dropped a game-high 23 points on 18 shots to lead the Demon Deacons to victory. Their win over SU began a six-game winning streak.
KenPom Odds
Syracuse has a 36% chance of winning, with a projected score of 74-78.
The Demon Deacons report
In its sixth season under head coach Steve Forbes, Wake Forest is trending in the wrong direction. After two 20-plus-win seasons in a row, the Demon Deacons are fighting to stay above .500 this year and are 0-10 in Quad 1 games, slightly worse than SU’s 2-8 mark.
Wake Forest’s best win came on the road against Florida State. Other top wins include a neutral-site victory over West Virginia and multiple home victories over ACC foes. Last season, the Demon Deacons earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, but fell in the quarterfinals to North Carolina after two byes.
Out are Sallis and Cameron Hildreth. In are Juke Harris, Myles Colvin and Tre’Von Spillers. Harris and Spillers have moved into bigger roles after returning to Wake Forest for their second seasons, while Colvin transferred in from Purdue to become a focal point.
Harris is one of the top guards in the ACC, dropping 21.1 points per game and possessing a 3.92 Offensive Bayesian Performance Rating, per EvanMiya. And senior guard Nate Calmese is close behind him, checking in at a 3.42 mark.
The Demon Deacons sit middle of the pack in most statistical categories, but rank fourth in the ACC points allowed per game (77.2). They also rank dead last in total rebounds, averaging just 32.8 per game.
How Syracuse beats Wake Forest
Despite Wake Forest’s faulty resume, the Orange still have a glaring weakness. Syracuse is just 2-5 on the road this year, and 4-14 over the last two seasons. First, SU must overcome its road woes in an arena where the Demon Deacons are 23-9 over the last two years.
Once the Orange step on the court, they must take advantage from inside the arc. Syracuse, though having an entire week to reset, enters the matchup off its worst 3-point shooting game of the year. SU sank just one shot from deep in the first 36 minutes against North Carolina, and only hit 3-of-17 shots from 3.
Wake Forest ranks 305th in the country against 2-pointers, as opponents have crafted a 55.1% mark. If it drives to the basket and gets to work from midrange, Syracuse might finally break its road curse.
Stat to know: 48.4%, 2.8
Freeman has struggled amid one of Syracuse’s toughest stretches in ACC play. In SU’s last three games, Freeman is shooting 48.4% from the field and averaging 2.8 fouls per game. Frustration boiled over for the forward against then-No. 16 North Carolina, when Freeman was ejected in the final minutes following a second technical foul and fifth overall.
Freeman, the former No. 15 recruit in the 2024 class, was supposed to be the savior for the Orange after missing most of his freshman season. After missing more time at the beginning of 2025-26, he’s still averaging 16.7 points per game with seven rebounds. He’ll need his performance against Wake Forest to resemble those numbers.
Player to watch: Juke Harris, guard, No. 2
Harris has emerged as a star in his second year with the Demon Deacons, scoring 25 points or more in 10-of-28 games this season. It’s a stark contrast from his freshman campaign, where Harris averaged only 6.1 points in less than 20 minutes per game. This year, Harris has also played 38 minutes or more in 10 games.
A four-star prospect out of Salisbury, North Carolina, Harris uses his 6-foot-7 frame to create mismatches and rebound at a high clip. He chose Wake Forest over offers from top programs like Kansas, Tennessee and Houston. For Syracuse, Nate Kingz will likely take on the challenge of trying to slow down one of the ACC’s most prolific guards.
