Syracuse basketball is a sizable betting underdog as the Orange prepares to battle No. 7 Tennessee out of the Southeastern Conference on Monday afternoon at the 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational in Honolulu.
Both squads come into this loaded eight-team event with 3-0 records, although the ‘Cuse needed to mount a massive second-half comeback to remain unblemished in knocking off Patriot League team Colgate last week on the Hill.
The Volunteers, meanwhile, are in the top 10 of both major top-25 polls. They have notched home wins over Tennessee Tech and Wofford, along with a solid road triumph at Wisconsin.
Syracuse basketball and Tennessee are scheduled to tip off beginning at 2:30 pm EST on Monday, Nov. 20, with television coverage on ESPN2. Coverage of this enticing contest will also be available on fuboTV.
No. 7 Tennessee vs. Syracuse basketball odds, spread and total
When I wrote this article, FanDuel had the Orange as a 14.5-point betting underdog versus the Volunteers in Hawaii, with the over/under set at 145.5 points.
No. 7 Tennessee vs. Syracuse basketball key players to watch
Tennessee
Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht
So far in this young 2023-24 season, he leads the Volunteers in scoring, at 19.7 points per game, and he’s also averaging 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per affair. Knecht is connecting on 54.1 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line.
Syracuse basketball
Sophomore point guard Judah Mintz
Mintz is off to a big start in 2023-24. He leads the ‘Cuse in scoring, at 23.0 points per game, while he’s collecting 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest. Mintz is hitting on 42.2 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from beyond the arc, and a strong 82.4 percent from the charity stripe. His points-per-game average, at the time of this writing, was tied for No. 11 nationwide.
No. 7 Tennessee vs. Syracuse basketball prediction and pick
In their short all-time series together, the ‘Cuse and the Vols are tied 3-3. This is an interesting duel for me personally, since I’m a SU alumnus and fanatical about Syracuse basketball. Conversely, my son, Kethan, primarily lives in Tennessee and loves the Volunteers. So, I win either way, right?
The Vols present a lot of challenges for the Orange. Tennessee, to date in 2023-24, is scoring at a high clip and defending at an even better clip. The ‘Cuse, meanwhile, hasn’t had an issue scoring, but its defense, to put it lightly, hasn’t been good.
What’s more, Syracuse basketball has been struggling on the glass, and Tennessee is solid in that department. The Orange is going to have to hold its own on the perimeter, on both ends of the floor, not get dominated on the boards, and score some easy buckets in transition after corralled rebounds or forced turnovers.
Before the current term commenced, I predicted that Syracuse basketball would upset the Vols. I’m not feeling super awesome about that projection, but I’ll stick with it. The ‘Cuse stuns Tennessee, 74-72.
This season’s Maui Invitational runs from November 20 to November 22 at the University of Hawaii’s SimpliFi Arena in Honolulu. After the Orange squares off with the Vols, the ‘Cuse will play either Purdue or Gonzaga.
In the final game of this fabulous event, Syracuse basketball will compete versus either Kansas, Chaminade, UCLA or Marquette.