Syracuse Stuns No. 13 Tennessee with Defensive Grit and Timely Buckets in ACC/SEC Challenge
The ACC/SEC Challenge delivered fireworks early, and Syracuse lit the first fuse. Just a week removed from a winless run at the Players Era Festival, the Orange bounced back in a big way Tuesday night, pulling off a gritty 62-60 upset over No. 13 Tennessee-their first win over the Volunteers since 1993.
This one came down to the wire. With the score tied at 60 and just 13 seconds left, forward William Kyle III calmly knocked down a go-ahead free throw to give Syracuse the lead. Tennessee had a final look to tie, but freshman Nate Ament’s layup attempt at the buzzer rimmed out, sealing a signature win for the Orange.
Defense Sets the Tone
Make no mistake-this win wasn’t about offensive fireworks. It was about defense, hustle, and toughness.
Syracuse forced 17 turnovers, turning those mistakes into momentum-shifting plays. One of the biggest came when senior guard J.J.
Starling stripped Ament and took it coast-to-coast for a thunderous slam. Moments later, Ament missed a three, and freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. made the Vols pay, flushing home a lob from guard Naithan George to electrify the crowd and stretch the lead.
Neither team found much rhythm offensively. Both shot under 50% from the field, and the long ball wasn’t falling either-Syracuse hit just 5-of-19 from deep.
But one of those five came at a crucial moment. Freshman Kiyan Anthony, son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, buried a three to give the Orange a 50-41 cushion midway through the second half.
It was his only triple of the night, but it came when Syracuse needed it most.
Balanced Attack Leads the Way
While the defense carried the load, the offense did just enough-and it came from a balanced effort. Four of Syracuse’s five starters finished in double figures, led by senior guard Nate Kingz, who poured in 19 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting night. The Orange didn’t need one player to take over-they needed everyone to chip in, and that’s exactly what they got.
Tennessee, meanwhile, leaned heavily on junior forward Jaylen Carey, who came off the bench to score a team-high 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting while grabbing nine boards. But outside of Carey, the Vols struggled to get consistent production. Their top two scorers, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament, combined to shoot just 7-of-22 from the field, and that inefficiency proved costly down the stretch.
A Statement Win for a Program Searching for Identity
Coming into this one, Syracuse hadn’t posted a signature win. They played then-No.
3 Houston tough, losing by just four, but moral victories don’t count on the résumé. And with no NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four seasons, this program has been searching for a spark.
This win could be it.
Beating a top-15 team on a national stage, doing it with defense, and closing it out in crunch time-that’s the kind of performance that builds belief. For a team that’s been trying to find its footing, this was a step in the right direction.
It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t pretty.
But it was a win that mattered.
And for Syracuse basketball, that’s something to build on.