Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team takes on the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers at 7 p.m., Tuesday in the JMA Wireless Dome.
The game will air on ESPN2.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Tennessee to see the latest updates
Feisty start here at the dome as Syracuse and Tennessee take turns … turning the other over. SU broke out full-court pressure early, and JJ Starling took the ball away in the backcourt but the neither team was able to score until Naithan George hit a tough shot attacking the basket a little more than 2 minutes into the game.
The Volunteers’ J.P. Estrella was ruled out for tonight’s game about 90 minutes before tip off.
Pregame
Syracuse finishes up a four-game gauntlet against Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
This is the second year in the row the Orange drew the Volunteers in the conference vs. conference competition, and the two teams also met in Adrian Autry’s first season in Maui.
The Orange was beaten soundly in the previous two meetings, and Tuesday night’s game carries even more stakes as it likely represents SU’s last shot at a signature non-conference win before beginning ACC play.
Syracuse is again without star forward Donnie Freeman, who will miss a fourth-straight game with an undisclosed lower-leg injury. Freeman missed the team’s three-game swing in the Players Era Festival last week in Las Vegas and was set to be reevaluated upon returning to Syracuse late last week.
Freeman’s injury status looms as a potential season-altering development for a team desperate to return to the NCAA Tournament next March.
And on Tuesday, his absence opens the door for Tennessee to take advantage.
Tennessee freshman Nate Ament, who averages 17.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and nearly two steals per game, poses a big challenge in the frontcourt, and one-time Syracuse recruiting target J.P. Estrella had been OK to play after suffering a bone bruise on his left knee earlier this season. But Estrella and guard Amaree Abram were limited in Monday’s practice after both players rolled an ankle against Kansas last week.
Syracuse (4-3) enters the night ranked 91st in the NCAA’s NET rankings, while Tennessee is No. 11.
