Syracuse vs. Tennessee: how to watch, odds, history & more

Teams: Tennessee Volunteers (7-1, 0-0) vs. Syracuse Orange (4-3, 0-0)

Day & Time: Tuesday, December 1, 7:00 pm

Location: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY

Line: Syracuse comes in as the home underdog at +6.5. The over/under for the game is 145.5. Both of these lines are according to FanDuel.

TV/Streaming: ESPN2 (Wes Durham and Dennis Scott)

Radio: Cuse.com, TK 99/105, WAER 88.3

Rivalry: Tennessee, 5-3

Current Streak: 4, Tennessee

First Meeting: Syracuse and Tennessee first crossed paths on the hardwood on Friday, December 15, 1972, in the Volunteer Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee. The four-team field also featured 12th-ranked Missouri and Holy Cross. Syracuse finished the tournament 1–1, with its lone loss coming in a tight 87–83 battle against the Volunteers, marking the Orange’s first loss of the season.

Last Meeting: As a part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, Syracuse and Tennessee also faced off last year on December 3, 2024. The game took place in Knoxville and it was all Volunteers as they took down the Orange 96-70. Syracuse could not defend Chaz Lanier who shot 8/16 from the field and scored 26 points. Lanier was one of five Volunteers to score in double digits in this ballgame. Coming off the bench, Elijah Moore was the leading scorer for Syracuse with 24 points along with three rebounds and two assists.

Head Coaches: Syracuse: Adrian Autry (3rd year, 38-34) | Tennessee: Rick Barnes (Overall: 39th year, 843-424 / At Tennessee: 11th year, 239-110)

Coach Bio: Rick Barnes has been coaching basketball for 48 years. He was born on July 17, 1954, in Hickory, North Carolina, and after playing at Lenoir–Rhyne University, he started his coaching career in 1977 as an assistant at North State University. He spent about a decade moving between assistant jobs before finally getting his first head-coaching opportunity at George Mason in 1987. From there, Barnes went on to lead programs at Providence, Clemson, Texas, and eventually Tennessee, where he’s been the head coach since 2015.

Throughout his career, he’s become one of the winningest coaches in Division I history, ranking 11th all-time with 843 wins. His best season came in 2003 at Texas, when he took the Longhorns to the Final Four. Since taking over at Tennessee, he’s turned the program into a national contender, consistently delivering 25-win seasons, conference titles, and deep NCAA Tournament runs.

Last Year: Tennessee posted its second 30-win season under Rick Barnes last year, finishing 30–8. The Volunteers were anchored by their senior core of Chaz Lanier, Zakai Ziegler, Jordan Gainey, and Igor Milicic. They opened the season 14–0, battled through a tough SEC slate at 12–6, reached the third round of the conference tournament before falling to eventual national champion Florida, and ultimately lost to the national runner-up in the Elite Eight in Houston. It was an outstanding year for Tennessee, but there was no ignoring the fact that the program would take a major hit with those four seniors graduating and moving on.

Last Game: Tennessee entered the third-place game of the Players Era Invitational in Las Vegas riding a wave of confidence after knocking off Houston 76–73 in their second matchup. Their opponent, Kansas, was without star guard Darryn Peterson, and the Volunteers were widely considered heavy favorites. Tennessee landed in the third-place game because Gonzaga and Michigan posted stronger point differentials during pool play. But despite all signs pointing their way, the Vols were shocked. Bill Self and the Jayhawks pulled off the upset, defeating Tennessee 81–76, even with Nate Ament pouring in 20 points for the Volunteers.

If Syracuse Wins: This is a massive win for Syracuse. The Volunteers are ranked 12th in the most recent NET rankings and are an extremely tough team to beat. The school should throw some belief into this team if they can win this game.

If Syracuse Loses: It’s going to feel like another season where Syracuse just can’t break through in the big moments. To be fair, the Orange have faced a brutal stretch against Houston, Kansas, Iowa State, and Tennessee with every one of them ranked in the NET top 18. Even so, coming out of that run 0–4 would still be tough to swallow. There’s a lot riding on this game, and Syracuse desperately needs to prove it can rise to the occasion.

Fun Fact: Both Syracuse and Tennessee enter this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge with identical 1–1 records. Syracuse picked up its win over LSU in 2023, while Tennessee’s loss came against North Carolina. The two programs met in last year’s event as well, with Tennessee coming out on top, leaving both teams sitting at .500 in Challenge play.