The Maui Invitational is one of the best early-season college basketball tournaments and this year is no different as it features five teams in the Top 11 in college basketball including this matchup as the 7^th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will play the Syracuse Orange in the 1^st round on Monday afternoon in Honolulu, Hawaii at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center with the game scheduled to start at 2:30 PM ET and will air on ESPN2. 

The Tennessee Volunteers made it to the Sweet 16 last season before losing to the Florida Atlantic Owls by a score of 55-62. The Volunteers are projected to be one of the best teams again this season as they enter this game ranked 7^th in the AP Poll and 8^th in the Coaches Poll with a record of 3-0 following wins at home against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles by a score of 80-42 and the Wofford Terriers by a score of 82-61 while defeating the Wisconsin Badgers on the road by a score of 80-70. The offense for the Volunteers has been one of the top-scoring offenses in college basketball this season as they are averaging 80.67 points per game. Dalton Knecht has been a pivotal player in the offense as well and he leads the team in scoring with an average of 19.7 points per game. The Volunteers will look to advance to the 2^nd round of the Maui Invitational when they face the Syracuse Orange on Monday afternoon.

Syracuse finished last season with a record of 17-15 which included a record of 10-10 in the ACC which led to a tie with Wake Forest for 8^th place in the conference. The Orange finished the season losing five of their last six games including a loss in the 2^nd round of the ACC Conference Tournament against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by a score of 74-77. The Syracuse Orange were not invited to any postseason college basketball tournament and missed the NCAA Tournament for the 2^nd season in a row. This season, Syracuse is projected to be the 7^th best team in the ACC as they are +1900 to win the regular season championship and enter this game with a record of 3-0 following wins at home against the New Hampshire Wildcats by a score of 83-72, the Canisius Golden Griffins by a score of 89-77, and the Colgate Raiders by a score of 79-75. The Orange will face their toughest opponent to date on Monday afternoon when they face the Volunteers in the 1^st round of the Maui Invitational.

BookMaker has the Tennessee Volunteers listed as 13-point favorites against the Syracuse Orange in the 1^st round of the Maui Invitational on Monday afternoon. The last time these two teams played each other was in the 2001-02 college basketball season which resulted in a 66-62 win for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Tennessee Volunteers are 2-1 ATS overall and 2-1 ATS as a favorite this season while the Syracuse Orange are 0-3 ATS overall on the year.

Tennessee is the superior team in terms of talent this season as they enter this game ranked in the Top 10 in college basketball and although Syracuse enters this game undefeated with a record of 3-0 they have struggled against inferior teams and have gone 0-3 ATS overall while the Volunteers are 2-1 ATS overall. I look for the Tennessee Volunteers to advance to the Semifinals of the Maui Invitational with a win and a cover when they play the Syracuse Orange on Monday afternoon.