Tennessee basketball vs Syracuse in Maui Invitational: Scouting report, score prediction
Tennessee basketball is chasing another holiday tournament title.
The No. 8 Vols (3-0) open the Maui Invitational against Syracuse (3-0) on Monday (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). UT won the Battle 4 Atlantis last season, its first holiday tournament title under coach Rick Barnes.
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Here is what to know about the matchup:
Dalton Knecht is scoring efficiently for Tennessee basketball
Dalton Knecht is leading Tennessee with 19.7 points per game and has been the leading scorer in each of UT's first three games.
The transfer from Northern Colorado is doing the scoring without taking excessive shots. He has 59 points on 37 field-goal attempts. The 6-foot-6 guard has made 15 of 18 free-throw attempts, rounding out his scoring abilities by getting points without taking shots.
Judah Mintz is excelling for Syracuse
Judah Mintz is off to a torrid start to his sophomore season, averaging 23 points. He has scored at least 20 points in all three games, building on a terrific freshman campaign.
Mintz, who was recruited by UT in the 2022 class, averaged 16.3 points as a freshman to earn ACC all-freshman honors. The 6-foot-4 guard went through the NBA Draft process before returning to Syracuse.
It's the first year after Jim Boeheim at Syracuse
Syracuse is led by first-year coach Adrian Autry, who took over the program after longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim retired in March after 47 years. Autry was on Boeheim's staff since the 2011-12 season and had been the associate head coach since the 2017-18 season.
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Autry coached at Virginia Tech prior to returning to Syracuse, where he played from 1990-94 under Boeheim.
Tennessee basketball's history in the Maui Invitational
Tennessee is making its fourth appearance in the Maui Invitational. UT previously played in the tournament in 2004, 2011 and 2016. The latter was Barnes' second season as the Vols coach.
UT has a 2-6 record in its prior appearances in Maui. Tennessee has never finished better than fourth in the tournament. It placed fourth in 2004, then finished seventh in 2011 and 2016. It beat Chaminade in the seventh-place game in those two appearances.
Syracuse has never lost in the Maui Invitational. It is 9-0 in the tournament, winning the title in 1990, 1998 and 2013.
Tennessee vs. Syracuse score prediction
Tennessee 78, Syracuse 63: The Vols hand Syracuse its first loss in Maui, moving into a marquee second game with either Purdue or Gonzaga.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee vs Syracuse in Maui Invitational: Our score prediction is in
