Smu Mustangs vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Picks and Predictions February 15th 2025

Upstart SMU, Wake Forest Battle for Fourth in ACC

SMU will aim for its sixth consecutive win and look to hold onto fourth place in the ACC when it hosts Wake Forest on Saturday in Dallas.

Mustangs Riding Hot Streak

The Mustangs (19-5, 10-3 ACC) have won eight of their last nine games, including three straight at home. Their latest victory was an 83-63 rout of Pitt on Tuesday, further solidifying their position near the top of the ACC standings.

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Freshman center Samet Yigitoglu led the way with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds, marking his seventh consecutive game in double figures.

“We’re the only team in the country to have six players averaging in double figures,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said. “So we don’t rely on Samet or anybody else solely for our offensive production.”

SMU leads the ACC in scoring, averaging 82.8 points per game, and boasts a balanced attack with multiple scoring options.

Wake Forest Looking to Bounce Back

The Demon Deacons (18-7, 10-4 ACC) saw their three-game win streak snapped in a 72-70 loss to Florida State on Wednesday. The defeat stung as Wake Forest allowed 18 points in the final four minutes, giving up scores on the Seminoles’ final seven possessions.

“That was a really bad loss. It’s probably the worst loss that I’ve had here. We have nobody to blame but ourselves,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “We gave up 51 points in the second half. We had no urgency to defend. … It was just error after error. We had bad shots and turnovers on our end.”

Wake Forest has historically dominated this matchup, sweeping their only two previous meetings with SMU in 2002 and 2003.

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Key Matchups to Watch

• Boopie Miller vs. His Former Team – SMU’s leading scorer (13.4 PPG) transferred from Wake Forest last spring and ranks fourth in the ACC in assists (5.7 per game). He will look to make a statement against his former squad.
• Hunter Sallis Leading Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons’ leading scorer (18.5 PPG) put up 20 points against Florida State and will be a key offensive piece on Saturday.
• Cameron Hildreth Staying Hot – Hildreth has scored 20+ points in four straight games, including 22 in the loss to Florida State.

Offense vs. Defense

This game features a classic battle of strengths. SMU’s high-powered offense (ACC-best 82.8 PPG) will test Wake Forest’s defense, which allows just 66.7 PPG (third-lowest in the conference).

Will Wake Forest clamp down defensively, or will SMU’s balanced attack continue to dominate?