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Quad 1 victories are hard to come by. Especially if you’re Syracuse under Adrian Autry. SU is already 3-20 under the third-year head coach in such games, adding to its total with three losses at the Players Era Festival last week.

A return home could’ve helped its cause. The Orange sent their strongest message yet.

Syracuse (5-3, Atlantic Coast) defeated No. 13 Tennessee (7-2, SEC) 62-60 Tuesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge, clinching a marquee Quad 1 victory. In its fourth straight game without leading scorer Donnie Freeman, SU led by two at halftime and pulled away with an emphatic second-half performance.

Minutes into the second half, the Orange cleared the air. J.J. Starling stripped the ball and delivered a two-hand jam. Sadiq White then delivered another slam off an alley-oop, followed by a two-handed block from William Kyle III, sending the JMA Wireless Dome into a frenzy. All of a sudden, SU led by six, its largest lead of the game. The advantage grew to as much as nine.

The block dunk party continued. This is what Autry envisioned when building his roster in the offseason. A high-flying, rim-running group with the ability to take over against the nation’s top teams. Even without Freeman.

The Volunteers clapped back with an 10-0 run, taking a 51-50 lead with under eight minutes to go. The teams went back-and-forth in the final minutes, exchanging leads.

A Starling 3 put the Orange up 58-56 with three minutes to go and a pull-up jumper under a minute later put SU up four. Tennessee called a timeout as Starling flexed down the court. Bishop Boswell tied the game at 60-60. With under a minute to play, Kyle got to the free throw line and split the pair.

With seconds to go, the Orange forced a final miss and the crowd stormed the court.

Syracuse is still getting used to building cohesion without Freeman. SU turned the ball over on its first two possessions, but eventually broke through with inside finishes from Naithan George and White to build a slim lead.

While the Volunteers began a horrid 2-for-11 from the field, the Orange didn’t totally take command. SU continued its poor shooting display from beyond the arc in Las Vegas. The Orange went 23-for-89 from 3 across their three games in Sin City. They started Tuesday’s contest 1-for-6 and finished 5-for-19.

Without Bryce Zephir to provide depth, J.J. Starling played the first 12 minutes without a substitution. The senior scored just one point and missed two 3-point attempts. Freeman and Starling have now played on the same team for two seasons, but they’ve played in only nine games of Syracuse’s 41. One of those games was Starling’s three-minute affair in the season-opener versus Binghamton.

While SU’s big two has played minimal time together, Tennessee’s is gelling well early on. Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and top recruit Nate Ament led the Volunteers to a 7-1 start, including a Quad 1 win over Houston. Both struggled early as Jaylen Carey took the bulk of the scoring. At the half, Gillespie tallied just six points while Ament notched three.

It wasn’t pretty, but in a defensive battle, Nate Kingz emerged as SU’s leading — and at times only — scorer. He topped his season high in the first half by pouring in 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting. With nearly 60% of SU’s first-half points, Kingz helped SU to a 32-30 lead at the break.

But how sustainable is relying on one player versus a top team in the country? The question was answered quickly in the second half.

Kingz earned a double team from the Volunteers’ defense and didn’t score in the frame. Meanwhile, the rest of Syracuse’s nucleus caught fire on both ends of the floor to mount a cushioned lead.

Tennessee jumped right back in as Gillespie found his way, with multiple buckets from Carey. A key 3 from Ament retook the lead at 56-55, but Starling’s takeover pushed the Orange in front. Tennessee tied the game with less than a minute to play, though Kyle converted his free throw and SU made a final stop.

Fans stormed the court as the Orange clinched a much-needed Quad 1 win, keeping their March Madness hopes alive.

Published on December 2, 2025 at 9:33 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky