Tennessee basketball will face Syracuse in its Maui Invitational opener, according to a report from CBS Sports Jon Rothstein.
The 2023 Maui Invitational is loaded with the field including Chaminade, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee and UCLA. According to Rothstein, the opening game matchups include Kansas-Chaminade, Marquette-UCLA and Gonzaga-Purdue in addition to Syracuse-Tennessee.
It is unclear which other teams are on the same side of the bracket as Tennessee and Syracuse.
NEWS: The bracket for the 2023 Maui Invitational is set, according to multiple sources.
Kansas/Chaminade
Marquette/UCLA
Tennessee/Syracuse
Purdue/Gonzagahttps://t.co/kAB3IEtg2j— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 25, 2023
It’s a season of transition for the Syracuse basketball program. The Orange parted ways with legendary head coach Jim Boeheim following the 2022-23 season with long time Syracuse assistant Adrian Autry succeeding his former boss.
While Boeheim was one of the most decorated coaches in college basketball, Syracuse slipped in his final years at the helm. The Orange combined to go 33-32 the last two seasons, failing to make the NCAA Tournament both years.
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Tennessee is entering head coach Rick Barnes’ ninth season as head coach and expectations are high. The Vols return super seniors Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi as well as promising young players Jonas Aidoo, Jahmai Mashack, and Tobe Awaka.
Barnes and his staff also added transfers Jordan Gainey and Dalton Knecht this offseason as well as a recruiting class which included four-star center JP Estrella and four-star combo guard Freddie Dilione (Dilione early enrolled in January and redshirted last season).
The Maui Invitational likely provides three strong non-conference games for Tennessee in addition to a loaded out of conference slate. The Vols face North Carolina and Wisconsin on the road, host Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena and face North Carolina State in San Antonio.
View Tennessee basketball’s full out of conference slate here.
