Syracuse men’s basketball (5-3, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) returned home for the ACC/SEC challenge against No. 13 Tennessee (7-2, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) on Tuesday night. Before students stormed the court in celebration of a 62-60 SU victory, Orange guard Nate Kingz put on a two-way masterclass with a rowdy JMA Wireless Dome crowd on his side.
After a winless trip in Vegas, @Cuse_MBB returns to the Dome and takes down No. 13 @Vol_Hoops, 62-60.@SamuelReisTV and @BurgessLuke03 had the call for SU's second ranked victory in the Adrian Autry era. pic.twitter.com/dzjh652kcE
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) December 3, 2025
In its first true road game of the season, Tennessee struggled. The Volunteers managed just a single point in the first four minutes of action. With the game tied at five, the Nate Kingz show arrived for the Orange.
“I’d like to thank ‘Cuse nation,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “They gave us a tremendous effort and that’s the type of support this team needs.”
It's safe to say SU guard Nate Kingz is a sharp shooter for @Cuse_MBB.@SamuelReisTV outlined the redshirt senior's triple.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) December 3, 2025
📻@Waer883, https://t.co/BG0Q3sGq3P pic.twitter.com/MekrIHhzgK
The Oregon State transfer nailed a 3-pointer to get the crowd off its feet early, and was only getting started. Kingz finished the first half on 6 of 10 shooting, including a pair of triples, and tallied a whopping 19 of SU’s 32 points.
Although the senior didn’t score, or even attempt a shot in the second half, Autry praised his defensive performance.
“[Nate Kingz] was phenomenal offensively in the first half,” Autry said. “But the defensive job he did on [Ja’Kobi] Gillespie…to be able to make him work for everything he had today was also exceptional.”
Matched up with Gillespie, the Vols leading scorer and distributor, Kingz had his work cut out for him. But #4 in white answered the call. Tennessee’s go-to guy was never comfortable, managing just ten points on 5 of 12 shooting and missing, or sometimes air-balling all three of his attempts from behind the arc. The Maryland transfer also had three turnovers on the night.
The Orange have made a considerable jump this season on the defensive end. Reflecting on the sharpshooter’s performance, Autry described how Kingz’s abilities on both ends of the court are exactly what the third-year head coach looks for in a player.
“Two-way guys, that’s what we talk about, we want two way guys,” Autry said. “We want two-way guys and [Kingz] did a phenomenal job tonight.”
After the win, Kingz, Autry and the Orange get to savor the victory. SU doesn’t return to action until December 11th when it hosts Saint Joseph’s at 9. WAER coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling countdown to tipoff at 8:30.