Syracuse basketball will be down one of its top players when it hosts Tennessee in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Starting forward Donnie Freeman will miss his fourth straight game due to injury according to the Daily Orange’s Aiden Stepanski.
The Tennessee game will the be fourth straight game that Freeman has missed. Freeman did not play in any of Syracuse’s three losses at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
Freeman leads Syracuse with 17.8 points per game along with 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his four games played this season. He’s shooting 50% from the field, 27% from three-point range and 78% from the free throw line.
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound power forward is Syracuse’s most productive returning player from last season. Freeman scored 20 points in the Orange’s win over Binghamton and Delaware State as well as 18 points in a win over Monmouth.
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Syracuse went 0-3 in its trip to Las Vegas while Freeman was sidelined. The Orange did have perhaps the most challenging schedule in the event. They lost their opening game in overtime against Houston before losing to Kansas and Iowa State in the next two games.
The Orange has incredibly balanced scoring so far this season behind Freeman. Kiyon Anthony, Carmelo Anthony’s son, is averaging 11.9 points per game. Forward Tyler Betsey is the only other Syracuse player averaging double-digit points this season.
Betsey sees an increased workload with Freeman sidelined. He’s also Syracuse’s best three-point shooter and is shooting 35% from deep over the first seven games of the season.
Tennessee basketball is looking for its third straight win over Syracuse after beating the Orange in the Maui Invitational two years ago and in Knoxville last season. The Vols dominated each of the last two meetings but Syracuse appears improved early this season.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Syracuse is at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. ESPN2 is broadcasting the matchup.
