It’s been a frustrating season for Syracuse men’s basketball (15-13, 6-9 Atlantic Coast Conference). After a stagnant offensive performance against No. 16 North Carolina last weekend, SU is once again searching for a response. Syracuse travels to Wake Forest (14-15, 5-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) in its penultimate road trip Saturday at 5:45 p.m.
“I thought today’s game came down to the second half — our inability to generate any type of offense,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said after SU’s loss to UNC. “I thought that was the difference.”
Even without star Tar Heels freshman Caleb Wilson on the court, a member of the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, the Orange shot 3-for-17 from beyond the arc. Shooting from downtown has become a familiar issue for a team that’s the third worst in the ACC in made threes per game.
“When shots aren’t falling, the court shrinks, man,” Autry said. “That’s just what it is.”
The Orange also contributed to battle defensive lapses and rebounding issues. Syracuse allows 80.7 points per game in conference play and is the second-worst in the ACC in field goal percentage defense. Against North Carolina, the Tar Heels shot 52% from the field and 61.5% in the second half.
To say it was a frustrating defeat is an understatement.
"Emotions were high. It was a physical game."
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 21, 2026
Autry on Freeman's ejection.
But Wake Forest enters Saturday with problems of its own. The Demon Deacons come off a 68-67 Wednesday loss to Boston College — a team that had lost eight straight entering that matchup.
Wake surrendered 46 second-half points and allowed a putback with half a second remaining to seal the defeat. Rebounding has been a season-long weakness for the 'Deacs, and it surfaced again in crunch time.
Wake’s offense has also learned heavily on Juke Harris, who poured in 38 points in its loss to BC.
19 points in 19 mins 🎩 pic.twitter.com/BsSaExHy2P
— Wake Forest Men's Basketball (@WakeMBB) February 25, 2026
Outside of Harris’ performance, production was limited, and the 'Deacs opened the second half with just five points in the first 10 minutes.
In many ways, Saturday’s matchup pits two inconsistent offenses against two defenses that have struggled to close possessions.
“I feel like we just can’t get it going on offense,” forward William Kyle III said.
Kyle says the response starts with effort.
“Effort should be nonnegotiable. We gotta fight. That’s the biggest thing. We gotta keep fighting.”
With just three regular-season games remaining, both teams are fighting to stabilize before the ACC Tournament. For Syracuse, improved three-point shooting, strong defensive rebounding, and more offensive flow are essential if it wants to reverse course of the road.
Gametime against the 'Deacs is set for Saturday at 5:45 p.m. WAER coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 5:30.