Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest Prediction, Pick & Odds | ACC Betting Guide

Wake Forest is poised for a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 with an 18-11 overall record. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech can play spoiler in what has been a difficult season with a 13-16 record on the year.

All of the pressure is on the home team to avoid a defeat, but we all know the madness and upsets that come in March, so we should have a great contest in Winston-Salem.

Let's take a closer look at both teams in our Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest preview and pick.

In his debut season as coach, Damon Stoudamire hasn’t had the best campaign. However, there have been improvements by the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech has picked up seven wins over Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents this year, including victories over Duke, Clemson and North Carolina. That is more than double what the program did a year ago with just three victories against similar foes.

The Yellow Jackets are also playing some of their best basketball right now. They have wins in three of their last four games and have won consecutive ACC contests for the first time this season. The back-to-back victories are also the first time Stoudamire’s squad has done so since the Diamond Head Classic back in December.

Georgia Tech has three players averaging in double figures in scoring, led by Miles Kelly at 14.8 points per game to go with six rebounds per game.

In the recent Bracketology release by Joe Lunardi, Wake Forest is slated as one of the teams in the Last Four Byes. This means Steve Forbes and his team have no room for error.

Luckily for the Demon Deacons, the final two regular-season contests are at home, where they have thrived. Wake Forest is 15-0 this year and 45-5 since the 2021-22 campaign inside the LJVM Coliseum. The 45 home victories are the most in the ACC over this span, and it is the best winning percentage at home in the Forbes era.

One of the keys to the strong campaign has been the play of Hunter Sallis. The Gonzaga transfer ranks in the top five in the conference in scoring (18.1 PPG) and is shooting over 50% from the field.

When I researched this matchup, multiple factors guided me to my favorite play, which backs the home team to get off to a great start in this game.

My best bet is for Wake Forest to cover the first-half spread at -9.5 or better. I also don’t hate the Demon Deacons on the full-game spread of -14 at DraftKings.

One profitable angle has been to back Forbes’ team at home following a conference loss. When Wake Forest has played at home in ACC play after a defeat, the Demon Deacons have covered the first-half spread in all four games with an average lead of 11.8 points at halftime.

Meanwhile, this is a Georgia Tech squad that ranks 225th in the nation in first-half scoring and average first-half margin. The Yellow Jackets have been losing at the break in five of eight road league games.

Outside of fighting for an NCAA Tournament bid, Wake Forest is also playing for seeding in the ACC Tournament. The Demon Deacons enter this game in a three-way tie with Clemson and Pittsburgh for the No. 4 seed in the tournament, which is the final double bye.

Forbes’ squad boasts a perfect record at home this season, and I expect them to get back on track from the opening tip in this one.

Pick: Wake Forest 1H -9.5 or Better

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