The Syracuse Orange (6-6, 0-1) are back in action this afternoon when they host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-4, 1-1). Tip off is at 2:00 on ESPN2 and here’s what we expect.

Kevin: Syracuse 68, Wake Forest 65

This game could get ugly as neither team is shooting the ball well from deep. Wake has been strong on the defensive side, so Syracuse has to take care of the ball in this one. I think the game plan early will be feeding Eddie Lampkin to try and get Efton Reid in foul trouble. Hunter Sallis will go off in this one, but I think Syracuse gets some big shots from Elijah Moore down the stretch to steal a home win to close out 2024.

Mike: Wake Forest 77, Syracuse 68

So far Wake’s losses are to three ranked programs and an extremely underrated Xavier squad. I wish I had more confidence that SU could put up similar resistance but in a grindy game like this, you need that someone who can get hot down the stretch and there just isn’t a match for Sallis… and that’d probably still apply even with J.J. Starling healthy.

Dom: Wake Forest 73, Syracuse 66

A defensive battle will inevitably lead to a close margin of victory either way. Sallis feels like the tiebreaker here considering he’s the best scorer available for any team. I was originally planning to pick Syracuse to win this one, but it was tough on second look to ignore the 21 turnovers the Orange had last game against Bucknell. If that happens again, the Demon Deacons will have too many opportunities to score compared to Syracuse.

Szuba: Wake Forest 79, Syracuse 68

Syracuse has yet to take down a P4 opponent this season and that streak should continue here. While Wake isn’t scoring the ball as well this season as last, Steve Forbes has his guys defending at a high level. For a team struggling to shoot the ball and find consistency on offense outside of Lampkin and Donnie Freeman, that should prove difficult. Expect Wake’s veterans Sallis and Cam Hildreth lead the way in this one as the Deacs win by double-digits.

Max: Wake Forest 74, Syracuse 68

This game is just about a coin flip, so I’ll back the Demon Deacons here. Yes, they don’t shoot it well from three, but it hasn’t seemed to matter in wins against Michigan, Minnesota and Boston College. Both teams play at a slower pace and shoot poorly offensively, so points will be at a premium once again. Like Mike said, Sallis should prove too much for the Orange to handle, sealing the win for Wake with clutch shooting down the stretch.

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What do you think will happen?