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Syracuse has lost two straight games by more than 40 points, a dismal stretch of play that has seen it drop out of the middle of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The poor shooting from the field — below 40% — persisted for the seventh straight game against No. 4 NC State, and the Orange continued to allow large chunks of points in the paint, as opponents further exploited their lack of size.

Prior to its game against Georgia Tech, acting head coach Vonn Read noted that SU keeps getting bitten underneath the basket on defense. That was 10 games ago, and Syracuse has managed just three wins since. With two games remaining in the regular season, the Orange turn their sights to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have shared similar struggles in conference play and were defined by a nine-game losing streak in the middle of the season — much like SU’s six game skid.

Prior to the Orange’s (11-15, 4-12 ACC) matchup with fellow bottom-dweller Wake Forest (13-14, 3-13 ACC), here’s everything you need to know about the Demon Deacons.

All-time record

Syracuse leads 7-2.

Last time they played

Syracuse narrowly beat Wake Forest last season to remain undefeated in the Carrier Dome. Helped by a season-high 17 points from Digna Strautmane and a fourth double-double from Kamilla Cardoso, the Orange held off a below .500 Wake Forest team last February. The Demon Deacons kept the game close throughout the first half, with a three-pointer from Tiana Mangakahia at the halftime buzzer finally giving SU a one-point lead.

But a quick scoring run in the third quarter, 12 blocks and a win in the rebound battle allowed Syracuse to improve to 7-4 in the ACC. The victory avenged the prior season’s five-point loss to Wake Forest, which, at the time, marked the Demon Deacons first win against SU in five years.

The Demon Deacon report

Wake Forest has witnessed one of the most up-and-down seasons in college basketball. Beginning the season on a seven-game winning streak, the Demon Deacons looked much like the Orange did in their six-game stretch against nonconference opponents, holding teams to below 50 points four times in that stretch. Then Wake Forest entered ACC play and quickly started dropping games. A 41-point blowout loss to Florida State marked the beginning of a seven-game losing streak that erased any momentum the Demon Deacons built up at the beginning of the season.

Four of the seven straight losses were by more than 10 points, and Wake Forest followed Syracuse down to the bottom of the conference. Sophomore Jewel Spear leads the team with 18.6 points per game, but she’s the only Wake Forest player that averages double digits. Forward Olivia Summiel rebounds her position well, but overall the team is having a statistically middle-of-the-road year and are on pace to finish at or below .500 for the sixth straight season.

How Syracuse beats Wake Forest

The Orange’s schedule eased up, and they finally don’t have to face a team that rebounds well, scores inside or has a potential WNBA lottery pick. Despite averaging just 66.1 points per game, however, the Demon Deacons can easily rack up successful shots and still average 0.97 points per scoring attempt, according to Her Hoop Stats. The Orange will have more of an ability to penetrate inside — and they should if they want to hold on for another ACC win.

Syracuse wins if it can manage to shoot better than 40% from the field for the first time all month. Wake Forest can bury the Orange on the road and jump them in the standings. Najé Murray can’t have another scoreless performance, nor can Christianna Carr be absent on the court. They also need some offensive production from the bench. Be it Alaina Rice, Nyah Wilson or Julianna Walker, someone else other than Syracuse’s starting five needs to contribute on the offensive side of the court.

Stat to know: 6.6 steals per game

Wake Forest ranks 265th in the country in steals per game, a pleasant sign for an SU team that struggled to hang on to the ball in key moments against top opponents. While the Orange haven’t turned the ball over 20 or more times since Jan. 13, it has definitely still been kneecapped by coughing up the ball in past losses.

Syracuse averages 14.4 turnovers per game, while opponents average 7.3 steals off the Orange. Skill wise, Syracuse has a starting five that can beat the Demon Deacons. This isn’t a game it needs to play flawlessly in order to have a chance to win, but if the Orange start giving away possessions and letting Wake Forest get more steals than its average, the chances of winning will be much slimmer.

Player to watch: Jewel Spear, guard, No. 24

Coming off an ACC All-Freshman season, Spear is averaging 18.6 points per game, shooting over 40% from the field and 36.5% from deep. She’s a potent weapon, and at times the only one for the Demon Deacons. In all but one game this season, she’s finished with double-digit points. Teisha Hyman, Murray and Chrislyn Carr can typically guard opponent point guards on the perimeter, but one in the trio is going to have to step up throughout the entire game in order to stifle Spear’s impact.

Published on February 23, 2022 at 9:33 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt