Syracuse men’s basketball: Orange to host Tennessee in ACC/SEC Challenge

Hopefully it goes better than last time

For the second consecutive season, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball will face the Tennessee Volunteers in the ACC/SEC Challenge, according to a report by Jon Rothstein.

The Orange will host the Vols inside the JMA Wireless Dome, presumably during the first week of December. Last season, Syracuse travelled to Knoxville and lost to then-No. 3 Tennessee 96-70 in the Challenge, part of an embarrassing 2-14 week for the ACC schools against their SEC counterparts.

This will mark the third straight season that Syracuse squares off against Rick Barnes’ squad, as SU fell 73-56 in the first round of the 2023 Maui Invitational.

Tennessee has played at the Dome twice, with Syracuse winning 98-65 in November 1993, and the Orange falling 83-70 in December 2000. SU is 3-5 all-time against the Volunteers.

This upcoming season, Tennessee will look much different than it did when Syracuse got blasted at the other end of I-81. Four-year star point guard Zakai Zeigler has graduated, but is currently suing the NCAA for a fifth season of eligibility, which he intends to use at Tennessee. However, it’s not like the Vols won’t have an elite point guard if he doesn’t get a waiver, as Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie is one of the best in the country.

While Felix Okpara returns in the frontcourt, starters Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack, and Igor Milicic all graduated, as well as sixth man Jordan Gainey. Tennessee brought in Louisiana Tech transfer Amaree Abram, Vanderbilt transfer Jaylen Carey, and a recruiting class that includes five-star forward Nate Ament.

The Orange are 1-1 all-time in the ACC/SEC Challenge, having blown out LSU at home in 2023-24 season.

This is the first known opponent on Syracuse’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule. There is likely more scheduling news on the horizon for the Orange, as Matt Norlander noted on the CBS Sports’ Eye on College Basketball Podcast last week that matchups for the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas will be released shortly.

The two most notable matchups in the ACC/SEC Challenge are reigning national champion Florida going to Cameron Indoor Stadium to play Duke, and North Carolina visiting Kentucky at Rupp Arena. A good showing from the ACC in this event is vital in terms of creating a rising tide in the league that allows for more teams to make the NCAA Tournament.