Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman will not play Tuesday night when the Orange meet No. 13 Tennessee at the JMA Wireless Dome, a school spokesperson said Monday.

Freeman missed the past three games due to a right foot injury – all losses at the Players Era men’s tournament in Las Vegas.

Dropping those three games – nonconference contests against powerhouses Houston, Kansas and Iowa State – cost Syracuse three chances at huge wins that would have provided the Orange a boost on their NCAA Tournament resume.

The next – and last -- chance at a quality nonconference win comes Tuesday against the Volunteers.

And Freeman’s unavailability makes the task even more difficult.

The Orange started the season 4-0 against four non-power conference teams, with the 6-foot-9 Freeman leading the way with averages of 17.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. They weren’t able to replace his scoring in Las Vegas as Freeman watched from the sideline with a walking boot on his right foot.

It is unclear when Freeman might return. He missed the final 19 games of last season because of a right-foot injury.

The Volunteers travel to Syracuse for the annual ACC/SEC Challenge. The Southeastern Conference team also played in Las Vegas, going 2-1 with wins against Rutgers and Houston and a loss to Kansas.

On the season, the Volunteers are 7-1 under veteran coach Rick Barnes and led by top scorer Ja’kobi Gillespie at 18.5 points per game. Nate Ament averages 17.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

Among freshmen, Ament is ninth nationally in scoring and tops in the SEC.

Tennessee is 5-3 all-time against Syracuse and has won the past four. They last met Dec. 1, 2024, in Knoxville, with Tennessee winning 96-70.

In Freeman’s absence, the leading scorer for the Orange is freshman Kiyan Anthony, who is averaging 11.9 points per game, scoring in double digits four times. He has started two games and is averaging 18.5 points in those game, posting 18 points against Drexel on Nov. 15 and 19 against Delaware State a week earlier.

Also averaging in double figures is Tyler Betsey at 10 points per game. He is shooting 35% from 3-point range (14 of 40) and adding 3.3 rebounds per game.

William Kyle III leads the team with 8 rebounds per game to go with 9.9 points. Naithan George has the lead in assists with 5.6

After the Tennessee game Syracuse will play five more times – no contests with a power conference team – before opening Atlantic Coast Conference league play against visiting Clemson on New Year’s Eve.

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