Zuke Harris, Wake Forest and Syracuse look for late pressure

Juke Harris has emerged as a ray of hope amid a disappointing season for Wake Forest.

Harris, who scored a career-high in points, is aiming to lead the Demon Deacons to a victory over Syracuse on Saturday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Harris scored 38 points on 12-of-19 shooting Wednesday in a win at Boston College. The Demon Deacons ended up losing 68-67 in the final minute. He has scored in double figures in every game this season and is averaging 21.7 points (third in the Atlantic Coast Conference) after contributing just 6.1 points as a freshman last season.

“He’s probably better than any player I’ve ever coached from freshman to sophomore year,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “I can’t speak highly enough about him. He’s an amazing player.”

Wake Forest (14-14, 5-10 ACC) has lost two straight on a three-game winning streak and sits in 14th place in the 18-team conference. Syracuse (15-13, 6-9) isn’t much better as the shortened regular season means both teams will likely barely make it to the 15-team ACC tournament in Charlotte.

The Orange will also be looking to avoid a third straight loss as a tough campaign comes to a close.

Syracuse absorbed a 77-64 loss at the time. No. 16 North Carolina last Saturday despite JJ Starling’s 22 points. The remaining Orange starters managed just 24 points on 9-of-29 shooting.

“Obviously we hope (the season) goes a little bit better,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. “You always have to have hope. We have to prepare for the next game and when it’s all said and done we have to keep our heads up and deal with it.”

Wake Forest has won three straight between the teams. In last season’s matchup, the Demon Deacons held the Orange to 47.4% shooting from 3-point range and 22.7% from outside the arc, winning 81-71.

–Field level media