SMU Mustangs vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, 1/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Location: LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

TV: ACC Network

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-7) will play the SMU Mustangs (13-5) at LJVM Coliseum on Tuesday.

The SMU Mustangs played Virginia and ended up losing by a score of 72-68 in their last contest. SMU ended with a 42.6% FG percentage (26 out of 61) and knocked down 5 out of their 13 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Mustangs buried 11 of their 14 tries for a percentage of 78.6%. In the matter of grabbing boards, they collected a total of 28 with 11 of them being offensive. They also doled out 12 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Concerning defense, SMU allowed the other team to shoot 41.7% from the field on 25 of 60 shooting. Virginia recorded 18 dimes and had 5 steals for the game. Additionally, Virginia had 36 rebounds (14 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Virginia finished 83.3% at the charity stripe by making 10 of their 12 shots. They converted 12 of their 31 shots from 3-point land. With respect to fouls, the Mustangs walked away with 14 while Virginia racked up 15 fouls.

Jaron Pierre Jr. is someone who was a contributor for this game. He accounted for 16 points on 7 out of 16 shooting. He played 32 mins and totaled 2 rebounds. He finished the game at 43.8% from the field and recorded 1 assist.

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SMU heads into this one with a win-loss record of 13-5 on the season. They have an average of 87.3 pts per game (23rd in Division 1) while hitting 49.7% from the field. The Mustangs are shooting 35.8% on shots from downtown (134 of 374) and 77.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, SMU is pulling in 38.3 rebounds per game and has accounted for 316 dimes on the year, which is 51st in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 11.7 times per game and as a unit they commit 17.3 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Mustangs have forced 13.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.9 personal fouls. They rank 307th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 287 surrendered for the campaign. The Mustangs defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 42.7% (476 of 1,114) and they concede 34.4 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 32.1% on 3-pointers while they are 269th in college hoops in points per game allowed (76.7).

When they last stepped on the court, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons went home victorious with a score of 69-68 against Florida State. The Demon Deacons were able to corral 18 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 26 for the game. They also coughed it up 5 times, while recording 10 steals for this game. Florida State earned 13 personal fouls in the game which got the Demon Deacons to the charity stripe for a total of 12 attempts. They were able to convert 9 of the free throws for a rate of 75.0%. When it comes to shots from 3-point land, Wake Forest buried 8 out of 34 tries (23.5%). In all, the Demon Deacons finished 26 for 63 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.3%. The Demon Deacons permitted Florida State to make 22 out of their 58 attempts from the floor which had them at 37.9% in the game. They shot 22.6% from three-point range by going 7 out of 31 and ended up going 17 out of 19 from the charity stripe (89.5%). When discussing how they rebounded, Wake Forest allowed Florida State to pull down 39 in total (14 offensive).

Nate Calmese was important for the Demon Deacons for this contest. He buried 8 of 19 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 42.1%, but couldn't coral a rebound. He earned 18 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and accumulated 3 dimes for the game.

Wake Forest has a mark of 11-7 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Demon Deacons are hitting on 45.2% from the floor, which is 194th in Division 1. Wake Forest has tallied 1,459 points so far this season (81.1 per game) and they grab 34.2 rebounds per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.8 times per game (148th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per game. The Demon Deacons are responsible for committing 19.1 fouls every game and they go 75.8% from the free throw line.

The Demon Deacons on defense are ranked 223rd in D-1 in PPG given up with 75.0. They are forcing their opponents into 15.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.5% from the floor (173rd in college hoops). The Wake Forest defense concedes 29.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (148 of 496) and their opponents are connecting on 73.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 15.2 dimes and 35.3 rebounds per contest, which ranks 294th and 227th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take SMU

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