Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse basketball team will take on the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers at the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The game will air on ESPN2.
View in-game team and individual stats here.
NOTE: Refresh this page during the Syracuse vs. Tennessee game to see the latest updates
Score Update: Syracuse 5, Tennessee 3, 15:29 left in first half
It’s a bit of a chaotic start here at the Dome as Syracuse and Tennessee take turns… toppling the other. SU broke the full-court pressure early, and JJ Starling took the ball into the backcourt, but neither team was able to score until Nathan George hit a hard shot driving past the basket with a little more than 2 minutes left in the game.
The Volunteers’ JP Estrella was ruled out of tonight’s game about 90 minutes before tipoff.
pregame
Syracuse completed a four-game sweep against Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
This is the second consecutive year the Orange drew the Volunteers in a conference versus conference contest, and the two teams also met in Adrian Autry’s first season at Maui.
The Orange were soundly defeated in the previous two meetings, and Tuesday night’s game has even higher stakes as it potentially represents SU’s last shot at a signature non-conference win before ACC play begins.
Syracuse is once again without star forward Donnie Freeman, who will miss his fourth consecutive game with an undisclosed lower leg injury. Freeman missed the team’s three-game swing at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas last week and was to be reevaluated upon returning to Syracuse last weekend.
Freeman’s injury situation looms as a potentially 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 is averaging 17.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and nearly two steals per game, offers a major challenge in the frontcourt, and one-time Syracuse recruiting target JP Estrella was OK to play after injuring his left kneecap earlier this season. But guard Estrella and guard Amare Abram were limited in Monday’s practice after both players sprained ankles against Kansas last week.
Syracuse (4-3) moved up to 91st in the NCAA NET rankings, while Tennessee is 11th.
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