Best Wake Forest vs. Pittsburgh Betting Picks for Wednesday, Jan. 31

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will look to snap their three-game road losing streak on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Demon Deacons are coming off a disappointing 85-64 road loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels last week.

However, Wake Forest is 7-3 straight up in their last 10 games and 6-3-1 against the spread. The Demon Deacons will look to get back on track against a Pitt squad that fell short in a four-point road loss to the Miami Hurricanes. 

As with the Deacons’ recent struggles on the road, the Panthers haven’t had much success at home. Pittsburgh has lost three consecutive games by an average of 15.3 points per game.

But as we saw on Tuesday night with UNC-Georgia Tech, expect the unexpected in conference play. Below, we’ll break down this midweek ACC contest and provide our prediction using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Wake Forest vs. Pitt Odds, Spread and Total

Wake Forest vs. Pitt Betting Pick and Prediction

The road hasn’t been too friendly for the Deacons, who have lost their last three contests by an average of 11 points per game. In their last game against North Carolina, Wake Forest only shot 35.6% from the field, 15% from three-point range, and was crushed on the glass (43-30).

Hunter Sallis led the Demon Deacons with 18 points, but it wasn’t enough as Wake’s perimeter defense got crushed. R.J. Davis scored 36 points, and the Tar Heels shot 52.5% from the field.

However, the good news for Wake Forest is that they are facing a Pitt team that only shoots 43% from the field (12th in the ACC) and 33.8% from deep (ninth in the ACC) this season. The Panthers are a solid defensive team, which gives them a slight leg up in tonight’s matchup. 

But the Demon Deacons are the better free-throw shooting team (79.8%) than the Panthers (68%), which could be the difference in a game where the spread is balancing between 1.5-2 points.

The key for Wake Forest to come away with the win is to slow down Panthers senior Blake Hinson, who leads the team in scoring (18.1 points per game) while shooting 43.4% from the field and 41% from three-point range.

With that being said, I will lean towards the Demon Deacons covering this small number, as they are four guys scoring at least 14 points per game this season. I know the Panthers’ defense is stifling, but I trust Wake to run their offense and compete on the road.

The Deacons are 0-5 against the spread as road underdogs this season, while the Panthers are 5-4-1 ATS. The ATS doesn’t look good for Steve Forbes’ crew, but they’ve played well in ACC play, which is all you can ask.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change