Dan Tortora Broadcast Media Welcomes YOU to WakeUpCallDT.com,

  Article by Dan Tortora

  Covering Syracuse Orange athletics has been a special journey for me.

  I was born in Syracuse, New York, not even 10 minutes from campus.

  I grew up here.

  My family on both sides dug deep roots that go back generations here in the Central and Upstate New York community.

  I have seen a lot.

  I have reported on many moments in our rich history.

  This current chapter of Syracuse Orange athletics has been unprecedented because the coach that just finished his tenure on the sidelines there, Jim Boeheim, is unprecedented.

  With that piece of history coming to be, new history was made with Associate Head Coach Adrian "Red" Autry gaining his first head-coaching opportunity, being tabbed to lead the Orange forward.

  Assistant Coach Allen Griffin came onto my program, "Wake Up Call", following Autry's official press conference and broke that he and fellow Assistant Coach and Orange Basketball alum Gerry McNamara would be staying on staff under Autry.

  Which leads us to now...

  There is a seat open on the bench left by Autry shifting down the line after coaching the forwards for many seasons under Boeheim.

  So who fills that seat?

  To me, the answer lies just down the road from campus...

  At Liverpool High School, where Syracuse Basketball alum Ryan Blackwell has evolved and sustained a very successful boys basketball program.

  Blackwell went 18-5 in his first season on the sideline at Liverpool (2015-16).

  He would follow with a 19-6 record in 2016-17, 26-1 in 2017-18, 9-12 in 2018-19, 8-12 in 2019-20, 9-3 in 2020-21 (shortened due to covid pandemic), and 20-4 in 2021-22.

  Blackwell has four Section III Class AA championships under his belt at Liverpool, winning back-to-back titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and most recently in 2021-22 and this season of 2022-23, where the team has advanced to the New York State Class AA Semifinals with an opportunity at a second state title with Blackwell guiding the Warriors.

  Under his direction, the Warriors concluded the 2017-18 season atop all Class AA boys basketball programs in the state, hoisting up the 2018 New York State Class AA title trophy.

  He has roots with the Orange, connections with current members on the staff, bonds with local talent in the area, and he has proven that he can lead...

  And win...

  We have also seen him guide Syracuse Basketball alumni to success on the national stage inside of The Basketball Tournament (TBT).

  There is no doubt we have been blessed that he chose to return to Central New York after playing for the Orange.

  As far as what Blackwell thinks about the there being an opening on the Syracuse Orange Men's Basketball staff and people offering up his name, "Obviously it helps when you're in the backyard of Syracuse," he shared.

  We are blessed that he has been here to mold young minds and build deep roots with the future of our community and their families.

  "We're having a lot of success for the last several years," Blackwell added, when speaking on the Liverpool boys basketball program.

  "I realize there's a seat open, but we have a job to do. We're trying to win a state title," he expressed, as the Warriors gets set for their New York State Class AA Semifinal game this Friday, March 17th, at 1pmET.

  His parting words while speaking with me on "Wake Up Call" that followed?

  "You never know what the future holds."

  Article by Dan Tortora

  The rematch of the game that ended with a questionable call felt like a home game for the Duke Blue Devils.

  Call it Cameron Indoor-adjacent.

  It is not that there was not orange in the building.

  But rather than the orange in the Greensboro Coliseum looked like buoys in a sea of Duke blue water.

  The Duke Blue Devils were seekng their 22nd Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament Championship, while the Virginia Cavaliers were targeting their fourth all-time.

  Duke never trailed for the entire first half, raising their lead to as many as 11 points, 22-11, with 2:23 remaining before the end of the period.

  Virginia, however, would end the opening half on a 6-2 run, with four of those points coming at the charity stripe, bringing their deficit to seven, 24-17.

  Both teams scored on their opening possessions of the second half, freshman center Kyle Filipowski on a layup for the Blue Devils, followed by a three for the Cavaliers from senior guard Armaan Franklin to make it a two-posession game, 26-20 Blue Devils.

  Freshman guard Tyrese Proctor elevated Duke back to a double-digit lead, 33-22, as a result of his 2-for-2 trip to the charity stripe with 15:12 to play.

  Filipowski would bring them back to a double-figure advantage at 38-27 on his layup with 9:19 remaining.

  Freshman guard Isaac McKneely would connect on a corner three to shrink the Cavaliers' deficit back to two possessions, but Proctor would answer right back with his own three from the corner and Filipowski would steal the ball from Franklin, taking it to the rim for a slam that would raise the Blue Devils ahead to double-digits again, 43-32, at the 7:30 mark.

  Another three by McKneely would move Virginia back within six points, 49-43, with 3:05 left on the game clock.

  With just over a minute to go, Cavaliers graduate guard Kihei Clark stayed with the ball, preventing a turnover, and took it inside with his left hand, going off the glass to make it 52-47 Blue Devils.

  A questionable call would happen with 52.5 seconds remaining. Freshman guard Ryan Dunn seemed to be contacted by the baseline before the ball went out off of his hands. No foul was called and Duke received the ball.

  Filipowski would be fouled on the ensuing possession, making one of two to send the Blue Devils ahead 53-47.

  Junior guard Reece Beekman would attack inside, connecting on his layup to get the Cavaliers within four, 53-49.

  But Duke, as they did all night, came back wtih an answer, going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to close out a game where they never played from behind for the entire 40 minutes. Junior guard Jeremy Roach made the first four and freshman forward Mark Mitchell got the final two as the Blue Devils hoisted their 22nd ACC Tournament Championship trophy in a 59-49 win.

  Article by Dan Tortora

  The 2-seed Virginia Cavaliers and 3-seed Clemson Tigers came into the Greensboro Coliseum after seeing each other only one time this season, a 64-57 win for the Cavaliers at home less than two weeks ago.

  This game began with two lead changes and two ties, but when junior guard Reece Beekman grabbed an offensive rebound and graduate guard Kihei Clark made the layup to follow at the 14:21 mark that made it 11-10 Cavaliers, Virginia did not rescind the lead for the remainder of the first half.

  The Cavaliers got out to their largest lead of the opening 20 minutes with 24 seconds remaining in the half, ahead 12 at 37-25, which they would carry into the locker room, riding an 8-0 run.

  That run would continue into the second half as Virginia extended it out to a 14-0 overall run taking a 43-25 advantage before Clemson would obtain their first score since exactly four minutes remaining in the first half (a three by graduate guard Hunter Tyson) when Tyson, ironically, got the bucket, this time a layup with 16:09 left to play, bringing the score to 43-27 Virginia. This ended an overall scoring drought of almost eight minutes for the Tigers.

  At the midpoint of the second half, the Cavaliers led by 18, 56-38, only out-scoring the Tigers 19-15 in the half, but having the cushion of 12 points prior to the start of this period of basketball.

  An 11-6 run by Clemson inside nine minutes to play got the deficit down to 14, 65-51, after being down by as many as 23 in the second half.

  With 1:25 left on the clock and up by 18, 74-56, Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett called timeout to clear the bench.

  The Cavaliers would never trail for the remainder of the contest upon taking the lead at the 14:21 mark of the first half, holding the advantage for the final 34 minutes and 21 seconds.

  At the final buzzer of the night, the score read 76-56 in favor of Virginia, going 30-for-60 from the field (50%).

  As a result, the Cavaliers will meet the Blue Devils for the 2022-23 ACC Tournament Championship on Saturday, March 11th, at 8:30pmET.

  Virginia is now vying for their fourth ACC Tournament title, after winning their first in 1976 under the late Terry Holland, followed by 2014 and 2018 under Bennett.

  Article by Dan Tortora

  As we reach the final stretch of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament, in a league where the Boston College Eagles have defeated th Virginia Cavaliers and the Florida State Seminoles bested the Miami Hurricanes, we still ended up with the top four seeds advancing to the semifinals here in Greensboro, North Carolina.

  The 1st-seeded Miami Hurricanes and 4th-seeded Duke Blue Devils were the first of the two semifinals games of the night, with both teams having split their regular-season series, Duke winning at home, 68-66, and Miami emerging victorious on their home floor, 81-59, most recently.

  This match-up opened up with two lead changes and three ties less than five minutes in.

  The Blue Devils were ahead by as many as seven at the 13:25 mark, but the Hurricanes would regain the lead less than three minutes later, at the 10:32 mark, after going on a 9-0 run to make it 16-14 Hurricanes.

  From that point to the 3:42 mark, there were six lead changes and a tie.

  Hurrincanes sophomore guard Bensley Joseph would knock down a three and follow with stealing a pass attempt by Duke freshman center Kyle Filipowski, elevating in transition for two to bring about the Hurricanes 32-31 lead at the aforementioned 3:42 mark.

  There were three lead changes and two ties that would follow.

  Duke went on a 10-4 run to end the first half, leading 41-36 at the break.

  Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller would lead all Hurricanes in the first half with nine points, followed by fellow starter, fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong, and Joseph off the bench, each with eight.

  Starting freshman guard Tyrese Proctor and freshman forward Dariq Whitehead, who came off the bench, led the Blue Devils with eight points apiece in the opening half.

  Miami would be within two possessions of Duke from the 18:43 mark until 31 seconds remaining, but never closed the gap.

  Duke had an answer for every Miami push, en route to an 85-78 win, which is why you will see them the ACC Tournament Championship this Saturday, March 11th, at 8:30pmET.

  The Blue Devils will now have an opportunity to take home their 22nd ACC Tournament title all-time.

  They won their first in 1960, followed by championships in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, and 2019. 

  Article by Dan Tortora

  The 2nd-seeded Virginia Cavaliers, one of the few teams to be ranked in the nation's Top 25 from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this season, took the floor against the 7th-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, who were ranked 1st in the nation's Top 25 in the preseason, for the first of the night cap double-feature here in Greensboro, North Carolina.

  This match-up, their third of the 2022-23 season, started off with both teams combining for 10 points in the first seven minutes of play, with North Carolina leading 7-3.

  The previous two meetings this season resulted in each squad winning at home, Virginia earlier on by a score of 65-58 and North Carolina with a 71-63 finish.

  A steal by sophomore guard Reece Beekman and take to the rim with a man on brought the Cavaliers within two, 13-11.

  On the very next possession, Virginia got their first lead of the night, off of a three by freshman guard Isaac Mckneely that made it 14-13 for Wahoo Nation.

  Scoring on this their third possession in a row, Beekman would take it to the rim to get the Cavaliers out to a 16-13 lead.

  Coming out of a break in the action, fifth-year forward Jayden Gardner's jumper would fall for four-straight scores for Virginia, ahead 18-13.

  Smart minds and good passes led to the fifth-consecutive score for the Cavaliers, a dunk by redshirt-senior center Francisco Caffaro.

  On their sixth-straight trip down the floor on offense, Virginia would find the inside of the net once again, when Beekman made his three after a miss by graduate guard Kihei Clark, giving the Cavaliers a 23-15 advantage on the Tar Heels.

  But North Carolina's final three field goals of the half would be from three-point range, from junior guard RJ Davis, graduate forward Leaky Black, and Davis again, getting the Tar Heels within one, 25-24 at the half.

  With 11:11 to play in the game, Virginia led by double-digits for the first time of the night, up 47-37.

  However, North Carolina would shrink their deficit to two possessions with 8:15, down five at 51-46 as a result of a three by junior guard Caleb Love followed by Love's assist to graduate forward Pete Lance inside.

  A foul by Mckneely would place Tar Heels guard/forward Puff Johnson on the line, where he went 1-for-2 to make it a four-point game, 51-47.

  Immediately following these free throws, senior guard Armaan Franklin would turn the ball over by his own baseline.

  His response? A block on Love inside, the defensive rebound, and a three at the other end to extend the Cavaliers out to a 54-47 lead.

  Franklin would foul Love later on and Love would go 1-for-2, and just like that it was a one-possession game, 55-52, with 2:46 to go.

  As he did before, Franklin would have a response. This time he would go up one-handed with his right off the glass on the left side to bring the score to 57-52 Virginia.

  Davis would connect on an old-fashioned three-point play on his layup and free throw to follow, and it was back to a mere two points of distance for the Tar Heels, down 57-55.

  The Cavaliers would go 7-for-8 from the line to move up 64-55.

  Franklin would then assist a dunk by redshirt-junior forward Kadin Shedrick for a 66-55 advantage.

  In total, Virginia would make nine of their last 10 freebies, securing therir victory at 68-59.

  They never trailed for a moment in the second half, holding onto the lead for the final 27 minutes and 28 seconds of play.

  The win advances them to the ACC Tournament Semifinal Round match-up that will occur at approximately 9:30pmET on Friday, March 10th.

  Article by Dan Tortora

  The second game of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Quarterfinals' round featured two former players / assistant coaches under now-retired Mike Krzyzewski, aka "Coach K", in Jeff Capel, the head coach of the 5th-seeded Pittsburgh Panthers, and Jon Scheyer, the head coach of the 4th-seeded Duke Blue Devils who succeeded Coach K.

  Duke wasted no time, out to a 12-point lead less than four minutes into play.

  Before the midway point of the first half, Duke had already scored 20 points, and led 20-6.

  The Blue Devils had doubled the output of the Panthers, and then some, with 6:32 remaining in the first half, when freshman center Kyle Filipowski completed an old-fashioned three-point play that made it 31-15 Blue Devils. 

  As a team, Duke would conclude the first half just shy of the 50-point mark, ahead 48-32.

  Duke would go 6-for-13 from long range in the first half, making them 46.2% effective from three-point range. Their play from deep gave them 18 points in the first half. They led by 16 at the break.

  The Blue Devils would continue to tame the Panthers in the second half, moving ahead by 30, 69-39, with over 14 minutes left in the contest.

  Duke opened up the doors for their bench to enjoy playing on the stage of the ACC Tournament, with 14 players in action overall.

  Pittsburgh would have the final field goal, an alley-oop slam in transition by freshman forward Guillermo Diaz Graham, but Duke never lost control of the game, winning by the score of 96-69.

  All in all, this game was a far cry from Pittsburgh's only other match-up with Duke this season, an eight-point loss on the road with Duke ranked toward the bottom of the nation's Top 25.

  The Blue Devils advance to face off against the top-seeded Hurricanes of Miami in the ACC Tournament Semifinals this Friday, March 10th, at 7pmET. 

  Duke split their regular-season series with Miami, defeating them 68-66 at home and falling on the road, 81-59, more recently.

  Article by Dan Tortora

  The 1st-seeded Miami Hurricanes opened up the action for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament Quarterfinals' round with their first action of the tournament after receiving a double-bye through the first and second rounds here in Greensboro, North Carolina.

  Their opponent, the 9th-seeded Wake Forest Demon Deacons, advanced through their first game of the tournament, a second-round match-up with the 8th-seeded Syracuse Orange, on a three-point shot on the right wing by graduate guard Daivien Williamson that broke the 74-74 tie with Syracuse with 00.5 seconds remaining.

  Wake Forest would begin the game with the lead off of a three by freshman forward Bobi Klintman, but would not see it again from the 15:52 mark of the first half, when fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong converted a layup to make it 4-3 Miami, despite tying the game five times after going down 4-3.

  The Hurricanes would get ahead by as many as 18 in the second half, but the Demon Deacons refused to go away, coming within seven, 65-58, with 3:59 to play in the contest.

  Graduate guard Tyree Appelby would make it a two-possession game with a tough three from the right wing that shrunk Wake Forest's deficit to 67-61.

  With 2:44 to play, third-year sophomore guard Nijel Pack picked up his fifth and final foul, ending the day with nine points, five rebounds, two assists, one block, one steal, and two turnovers in 30 minutes. The foul placed the Demon Deacons in the double-bonus and Appleby went 1-for-2 at the line to get the game back to a two-possession situation for Wake Forest.

  Back-to-back three-balls by sophomore guard Cameron Hildreth and Appleby, respectively, brought the deficit to four for Wake Forest, 73-69, with 38 seconds remaining on the game clock here in Greensboro.

  The Demon Deacons would drain their clock almost turning the ball over and then looking for a shot, but Hildreth would make it count as he waited for his defender to fly by, taking and making the open three to make it 74-72 Hurricanes with 2.7 seconds to go.

  Miami sophomore guard Wooga Poplar would miss the front end of a 1-&-1 attempt, giving Wake Forest an opportunity to beat the buzzer, just as they did a day ago versus Syracuse.

  However, this one would not grace the nylon, resulting in the top-seeded Hurricanes moving onto the ACC Semifinals.

  Article by Dan Tortora

  Years ago, a friend of mine and I sat elbow to elbow at a small table in a restaurant in Upstate New York.

  We were discussing Syracuse Orange men's basketball.

  Then, I posed this question to him, "Do you want to be a head coach someday?"

  His answer, without hesitation, was, "Yes".

  That friend? Adrian Autry.

  Fast-forward to these past couple of years.

  I have been asked numerous times who I think should take over the Syracuse program once Jim Boeheim leaves.

  Time and time again, my answer, "Adrian Autry".

  Why? 

  Because just like back on that day at that restaurant, Autry gave me reason to believe.

  When he sat there that night discussing Syracuse basketball, he shared with me players he had recruited, like Chris McCullough, Jerami Grant, Tyler Ennis, and so on.

  I said to him that some people did not even know that he was the main recruiter for guys that not only excelled at Syracuse but that also went on to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) or professionally overseas.

  His response?

  He did not care because he did not like to talk about himself.

  My response?

  It was along the lines of, "That's cool that you don't talk about yourself, and I respect that. But, I can talk about you all I want, and I'm going to."

  Add in his developement of the forwards over the last 10+ years as their position coach at Syracuse and you can see the proof of his tutelage.

  Look at Rakeem Christmas, CJ Fair, Jerami Grant, Tyler Lydon...

  Fast-forward to now and see the way Benny Williams is shooting at the end of the 2022-23 season as opposed to the beginning.

  On top of that, look at his title: Associate Head Coach.

  I asked him years ago what that meant and Autry shared that if Boeheim was ejected, got suspended, was out sick, then, "I'm the guy that holds the clipboard."

  Boeheim has trusted him.

  He played here.

  He has coached here.

  He has risen to be the right-hand person for Boeheim, and learned from him as a player and as a professional.

  So what do I think about Autry becoming the new head coach of Syracuse basketball?

  I will answer that the same way I spoke to Autry years ago when he told me he wanted to become a head coach someday...

  "You deserve it."

  Article by Dan Tortora

  Jim Boeheim left the building... 

  And then he left the building.

  Shortly after the 77-74 last-second loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Boeheim addressed the media.

  He said he had already given his retirement speech, but alleged that most people did not catch it.

  Yet he was non-commital when directly asked if he was or was not retiring now that the 2022-23 season had come to an end.

  Syracuse University would open its locker room to the media at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina.

  Then, they left. 

  The news broke before the plane could seemingly take off from Greensboro back to Syracuse, New York.

  47 years.

  Add onto that coaching as an assistant under his predecessor Roy Danforth and before that his playing days as a member of the Orange and you have five decades in one place, with one team, his entire career in basketball, outside of Team USA, of course.

  Jim Boeheim has retired.

  The question that I have been asked almost as much as "how are you?" or "how can I help you?" has been answered.

  I, like many, have not ever seen a world without Boeheim on the sideline at Syracuse.

  He has been there my whole life, and then some.

  Yet today, Wednesday, March 8th, 2023, that changed.

  In 47 seasons, Boeheim guided the Orange to the NCAA Tournament 35 times.

  He coached Syracuse to the NCAA Final Four five times in four decades, heading to the Final Four in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016, winning a National Championship in the 2002-03 season.

  In total, Boeheim has won over 1,100 games. 

  1,116 to be exact.

  And, yes, I am saying 1,116 and not 1,015 because you cannot erase history.

  Following the 20-year celebration of the greatest win Boeheim ever coached, an 81-78 National Championship victory over the Kansas Jayhawks, he has chosen to step away, after sharing the Dome once again with the team that achieved what some considered impossible for my hometown of Syracuse, New York.

  Like him or not, Boeheim aided in putting Syracuse on the map, not just the university, but the city as a whole.

  To many, he is why people even know how to spell the city's name.

  They have watched his teams.

  Cheered for him.

  Yelled at him.

  Made the Dome the home of the largest crowds in NCAA Basketball history, time and time again.

  Because Boeheim gave people all over the world something to watch, a team to feel good about, to believe in.

  I have witnessed it.

  I have lived it.

  I have seen this team rise time and time again.

  But I have never seen a sunrise without Jim Boeheim as the leader of Syracuse basketball.

  Until now.

  Article by Dan Tortora / Photo by Dan Tortora Broadcast Media, LLC

  The Syracuse Orange and Wake Forest Demon Deacons a just a few days removed from having seen one another, that happening on Saturday, March 4th, a 72-63 win at home.

  Syracuse's victory over Wake Forest moved them back to the 8th-seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament, and moved Wake Forest to the 9th-seed, giving them a rematch here on Wednesday, March 8th, at the Greensboro Coliseum.

  The Demon Deacons began the game on a 4-0 run.

  Syracuse would respond with a leaner in the lane by true freshman point guard Judah Mintz, followed by a wide open three in the left corner by true freshman forward Chris Bell to give the Orange their first lead of the day, 5-4.

  Bell would pull down an offensive rebound and give sophomore forward Benny Williams a second chance from beyond the arc, which he sent through the net, followed by another three, doubling the Orange offense to that of the Demon Deacons, 16-8, with 11:36 remaining in the opening half.

  Syracuse started this game 4-for-5 from three-point range, with Williams and Bells each going 2-for-2.

  Wake Forest would go on an 11-0 run to cut the Syracuse lead to one, 22-21.

  Senior guard Joe Girard, III, would snap that run with a step-back three that moved the Orange out to a two-possession lead, 25-21.

  On the other end, graduate guard Daivien Williamson would make his three-point attempt and be fouled by Orange true freshman guard Quadir Copeland, completing the four-point play at the line to get within one possession of the Orange, down 27-25.

  Syracuse senior point guard Symir Torrence would commit a foul at the top of the key, giving Wake Forest graduate guard Tyree Appleby a 1-&-1 opportunity, to which he would make both, tying the game at 29.

  The Orange would break the tie immediately with senior center Jesse Edwards working inside for two, but junior forward Andrew Carr would dunk it home to tie the contest once again, this time at 31-apiece.

  Syracuse would score twice more inside 1:30 before half, both by Mintz, but Appleby would get the last word of the first half on his layup with 36 seconds remaining.

  There would be three lead changes and three ties in the first half.

  However, the Orange would not trail for more than 15 of the 20 allotted minutes of the first half, taking a 35-33 lead into the break.

  The entire starting five for Syracuse got on the board in the first half: Williams with 10, Bell with eight, Mintz with seven, Girard with six, and Edwards with two. Their bench had two points from Copeland, with Torrence and true freshman forward Maliq Brown coming away with no points.

  Wake Forest's starting five also all scored in the opening half: Freshman forward Bobi Klintman with 10, Appleby with eight, Williamson with six, Carr with four, and sophomore guard Cameron Hildreth with two. Of their two bench players, sophomore guard Lucas Taylor and sophomore forward/center Matthew Marsh, Taylor had three points.

  Hildreth brought the game to another tie, this coming on his take to the rim on the Demon Deacons' first play of the second half.

  Wake Forest would score on their next possession as well, this coming in the paint by Carr to give the Demon Deacons' their first lead since the 15:47 mark of the first half, a span of almost 17 minutes either trailing or tied with the Orange.

  Bell would connect from long range immediately after, giving Syracuse the lead back, 38-37.

  However, inside 15 minutes to play, Wake Forest was on a 15-7 run to start the second half, moving ahead of Syracuse 48-42.

  With 13:33 to play, the Demon Deacons got out to a 12-point advantage, 54-42, after back-to-back three-balls.

  Syracuse went on a scoring drought, having not made a field goal since the 17:22 mark of the second half, a span of 5:22 and counting at the media timeout that came with 12 minutes left.

  Edwards made two free throws within this time, Syracuse's only points in the span.

  With a 56-43 lead, the Demon Deacons had out-scored the Orange 23-8 in the second half.

  A three by Mintz with 10:34 remaining would be Syracuse's first field goal in almost seven minutes, going back to the 17:22 mark.

  Edwards would get two inside for the Orange shortly after, but would follow by picking up his fourth foul of the game on the very next Demon Deacons' possession, heading out of the contest with 9:22 to play, resulting in sophomore center Mounir Hima checking in for the first time.

  A three by Williams and a steal right after by Mintz and make at the rim brought Syracuse within two possessions, down 58-52, with 8:55 on the game clock.

  Copeland would make both free throws of his 1-&-1 attempt and then force a turnover by the Demon Deacons on the attempted inbounds play.

  Girard would connect from long distance on the heels of that stop by Copeland, and the Orange were within one, 58-57.

  Copeland would be called for a foul with a body on Appleby on the next attempted inbounds play by Wake Forest and Appleby would make both free throws in his 1-&-1 attempt.

  Syracuse would answer, courtesy of Williams getting a rebound off of his miss and putting the ball back up for a make plus the free throw to tie the match-up at 60-apiece.

  Klintman would have other plans, however, cashing in his long-range deposit right after Williams old-fashioned three-point play, giving the Demon Deacons a three-point lead, 63-60.

  Copeland would create another turnover, stealing the ball away and getting fouled, making both of his free throws to bring the Orange within one, 63-62.

  Hildreth scored on the next three possessions for Wake Forest, a jumper from inside and outside the arc and a layup, while Edwards scored inside off the right side of the glass on back-to-back possessions for Syracuse, making it a two-possession game, 70-66 Wake Forest.

  Mintz would make it three-straight possessions with field goals for the Orange, sending home his second three-ball of the day, shrinking the Demon Deacons' lead to one, 70-69.

  Almost a minute later, Williamson would make a layup, watiing underneath the basket in transition to raise Wake Forest up to a 72-69 lead with 2:39 remaining.

  Mintz went to the rim and Williams made his third deep ball of the day to give the Orange their first lead since the 17:08 mark of the second half, a span of over 16 minutes, gaining the lead with 59 seconds to play, ahead 74-72.

  A turnaround jumper by Hildreth would tie the game at 74.

  Girard would miss his attempt with seven seconds on the clock, and Williamson would not, making a three with 00.5 seconds left.

  The heave would head no where as Wake Forest would avenge their loss less than a week ago to Syracuse, moving on to face the 1st-seeded Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 9th, at NoonET.

  With the loss, the Orange season comes to an end at 17-15.