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Wake Forest meets Syracuse in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, March 8. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. ET from Greensboro Coliseum and will be available to watch on ESPN. Let’s take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.
Wake Forest vs. Syracuse odds in ACC Tournament
Spread: Wake Forest -2
Over/Under: 154
Moneyline: Wake Forest -135, Syracuse +115
Wake Forest (18-13, 10-10 ACC) just recently faced the Orange this past weekend, falling 72-63 on the road to drop to .500 in conference play. The Demon Deacons shot 40 percent from the floor and went 10-for-39 from beyond the arc while coughing up the ball 16 times in the defeat. Despite scoring an average of 76.7 PPG in the regular season, which ranked 60th in the country, they allow 73.8 PPG to their opponents for a dismal 287th ranking in the nation. In order to exact revenge in this matchup they’ll need to tighten up on defense and limit the easy turnovers while making the baskets count from the charity stripe.
Syracuse (17-14, 10-10 ACC) snapped a four-game skid on Senior Day at the expense of the Demon Deacons, propelling them to .500 in conference play and setting up a rematch with Wake Forest in the second round. A key factor in the Orange coming out on top on Saturday was winning the battle on the glass, as they outrebounded Wake Forest 43-36. Though they are averaging 74.1 PPG, the Orange have managed to be slightly above average on the defensive end, ranking 261st in the nation and holding their opponents to 72.8 PPG.
The Pick: Syracuse +2
Both of these teams have had ease in finding the basket but have conversely struggled to stop the opposing team from matching bucket for bucket. Whoever puts on the better defensive display will get the slight edge in this one, and given Syracuse’s track record of being slightly above average on that end of the court, it feels like they can notch back-to-back wins over the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is just 0-4-1 versus the spread over their last five outings, and I like Syracuse’s chances of bullying them on the boards once more, setting up second-chance scoring opportunities.