After three losses at the Players Era Festival, the Syracuse Orange return home to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday night in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Things aren’t getting any easier for the Orange now that they’re out of Las Vegas, and I’m taking the Volunteers to cover in my Tennessee vs. Syracuse predictions.
Let’s take a closer look at this all-orange matchup in my free college basketball picks for Tuesday, December 2.
Tennessee vs Syracuse prediction
Tennessee vs Syracuse best bet: Tennessee -7 (-110)
Syracuse had a brief moment of optimism in Las Vegas, as it played the Houston Cougars down to the wire in the opening matchup before falling 78-74.
But the Orange were nowhere near as impressive in their last two games in the Players Era Festival, losing by 11 to the Kansas Jayhawks and suffering a 31-point loss to the Iowa State Cyclones.
Offense has been hard to come by for Cuse, with the program averaging under 75 points per game. That isn't going to cut it against Tennessee, which is averaging 86 ppg.
The Vols had a much better time in Vegas, reaching the third-place games with wins over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Houston before falling to Kansas.
Even with that loss, the Volunteers rank as an elite team: they're 7-1, ranked No. 13 in the AP poll, and rank 12th-best in the country according to KenPom.
Outside of a furious comeback against Houston, Syracuse hasn’t had what it takes to compete against the strong opponents it has faced so far this year, and Tennessee should simply outclass it tonight.
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Tennessee vs Syracuse same-game parlay
While both teams play well on the defensive end, that hasn’t been enough for either to avoid hitting the Over with regularity against major conference opponents.
I’m also taking Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (18.5 ppg) to hit his personal scoring Over, as he did in two of the Volunteers’ three games at the Players Era Festival.
Tennessee vs Syracuse SGP
- Tennessee -7
- Over 146.5
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie Over 18.5 points
Our beyond the arc SGP: Kobi!
Gillespie is averaging 5.3 assists per game and should have the opportunity to dish the ball to his teammates against a Syracuse team allowing 81.3 ppg to major conference opponents.
Starling hasn’t gotten off to a fast start for the Orange this year, but he averaged 17.8 ppg last season and should get closer to those numbers as the season progresses.
Tennessee vs Syracuse SGP
- Tennessee -7
- Over 146.5
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie Over 18.5 points
- Ja'Kobi Gillespie Over 4.5 assists
- JJ Starling Over 11.5 points
Tennessee vs Syracuse odds
- Spread: Tennessee -7 | Syracuse +7
- Moneyline: Tennessee -315 | Syracuse +255
- Over/Under: Over 146 | Under 146
Tennessee vs Syracuse betting trend to know
Syracuse is 1-3 ATS in its last four games overall. Find more college basketball betting trends for Tennessee vs. Syracuse.
How to watch Tennessee vs Syracuse
| Location | JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY |
| Date | Tuesday, December 2, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN2 |
Tennessee vs Syracuse key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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