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Inside William Kyle’s game-winning free throw: ‘I knew he was gonna make that sucker’

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Inside William Kyle’s game-winning free throw: ‘I knew he was gonna make that sucker’


Syracuse, N.Y. – As he stepped to the free throw line, William Kyle III wasn’t nervous.

There were 13.8 seconds left in Tuesday night’s game between Syracuse and 13th-ranked Tennessee at the JMA Wireless Dome. The score was tied at 60.

Kyle, Syracuse’s senior center, had just missed the first of two foul shots. Free throws have been a problem for Kyle throughout his college career. He had a .568 percentage entering this season.

In his first seven games with the Orange, Kyle, whose shooting motion looks like he’s carrying the ball up a fire escape, had gone 11-for-26 (42.3%) at the line.

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And there he was, at the line with 13.8 seconds on the clock, score tied, one more chance to put the Orange ahead.

“I wasn’t thinking,’’ Kyle would say later. “I wasn’t necessarily nervous going to the line.’’

William Kyle III might not have been nervous, but his father, William Kyle Jr., sure was.

Seated in the first row of the bleachers opposite the SU bench, Kyle’s father watched as his son stepped away from the line after missing the first shot.

Any parent who has watched their child swing a bat at a ball, throw a baton in the air or recite a line in a play can imagine the emotions William Kyle Jr. was experiencing at that moment as he wore a replica of his son’s No. 42 Syracuse jersey.

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“Initially, it was nerve-wracking,’’ he said. “Just absolutely nerve-wracking.’’

Kyle’s father said free throws have always been a sore spot for his son.

William Kyle III is blessed with extraordinary athleticism. He has a 44-inch vertical jump. His sense of timing enables him to block the shots of players much taller than his listed 6-foot-9 height. He runs like a deer, which makes sense for someone who ran the 800 meters at a national level up until his freshman year of high school.

But the fine art of free throw shooting has been tough for him to master.

“It’s something that he’s always struggled with,’’ Kyle Jr. said. “He’s made investments. Lord knows, he’s put the practice in, but it’s all mental because if you look at him outside of a game environment, he strokes it.’’

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Since arriving at Syracuse following his transfer from UCLA, Kyle III has worked with SU assistant coach Dan Engelstad, who tutors the Orange big men. Engelstad has tried to iron out Kyle’s multi-hitched shooting form.

Kyle thought of those practice sessions as he prepped for the crucial second free throw.

“We put a lot of work in every day,’’ Kyle said of himself and Engelstad. “I was just thinking about my routine. I was going up there, make or miss, and just living with it.’’

Kyle had put on a stellar performance up to that point in the game. He battled with Tennessee’s 6-foot-11 Felix Okpara and the 267-pound Jaylen Carey throughout the game.

Kyle finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and six huge blocked shots. His rejection of Okpara’s dunk attempt at the rim was the stuff of highlight reels.

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His play drew the praise of Tennessee coach Rick Barnes.

“I like anybody who is quote-unquote an unsung hero guy,’’ Barnes, the NCAA’s active leader for career coaching victories, said. “He makes basketball plays. He knows who he is, and he plays to his strengths.

“Again, I wish I had some guys that understood that,’’ Barnes added. “He knows exactly what he’s supposed to do, and he does it in a very unselfish (way).’’

Kyle had drawn nine fouls on Tennessee’s players. Good news/bad news there. On the one hand, his non-stop activity helped to put SU in the bonus situation quickly. On the other, Kyle would end up at the line 10 times on Tuesday.

He made just three of his first nine free throw attempts.

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Syracuse desperately needed a win over a quality opponent after going 0-3 against three top-25 teams last week at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.

Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry joked that when Kyle goes to the foul line, he doesn’t hold his breath; instead he paces.

“The one thing about Will Kyle, and I say this all the time, he’s so confident in his abilities,’’ Autry said.

In the stands opposite where Autry paced, William Kyle Jr.’s nerves washed away.

“I’m sitting up there, I’m a man of faith, so I said a prayer,’’ Kyle Jr. said. “He missed the first one, but I knew he was gonna make that sucker.’’

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Kyle made the shot, putting Syracuse ahead 61-60.

The Orange still had to survive a Tennessee possession, which ended with Carey missing a short shot at the basket. Sadiq White added one more free throw, and Tennessee’s last-second shot went awry.

Syracuse got the big win it needed.

As the Syracuse students rushed the court, William Kyle III jumped up and down in the middle of the mosh pit.

A little over an hour later, the fans had emptied out of the JMA Dome.

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William Kyle Jr. waited for his son outside the tunnel that leads to the team’s locker room. When William Kyle III emerged from the tunnel, his father wrapped him in a huge bear hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said.



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Tracking every Tennessee Titans pre-NFL draft visit for 2026

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Tracking every Tennessee Titans pre-NFL draft visit for 2026


The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start paying extra close attention to the Tennessee Titans’ moves and visits.

In the weeks leading up to the NFL draft, teams are allowed to bring up to 30 prospects to their facilities for visits with coaches and executives, on top of the meetings coaches, scouts and executives can hold with prospects on college campuses after pro days.

Pre-draft meetings aren’t everything; seven of the nine players the Titans drafted in 2025 never took reported visits or meetings with the team prior to being picked. But touch points like these are interesting looks into the team’s thought process as far as which positions need to be evaluated and which players merit closer looks.

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Based on player comments, social media posts and national reports, here is a running track of which players have visited or are expected to visit with the Titans, sorted by player rank in the consensus player rater.

Tennessee Titans NFL draft 2026 visits tracker: Which best draft prospects available are talking with the Titans?

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (No. 4 prospect)

Love visited the Titans’ facility shortly after the conclusion of his impressive showing at the NFL combine, according to posts he made on social media.

Rueben Bain Jr., DL/Edge, Miami (No. 7 prospect)

Bain told CBS Sports following his Miami pro day workout that he had a visit scheduled with the Titans. Bain also met with the Titans at the NFL combine.

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Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (No. 9 prospect)

Tate told reporters after Ohio State’s pro day that the Titans are among the five teams he has scheduled visits with. Other teams picking in the top 10 who have Tate on their radar include the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.

Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (No. 10 prospect)

Per a report from Ryan Fowler, the Titans scheduled a visit with Delane, the consensus pick for the top cornerback in this draft class.

Makai Lemon, WR, Southern Cal (No. 14 prospect)

The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner as college football’s best wide receiver, Lemon has a visit scheduled with the Titans, per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (No. 32 prospect)

Concepcion, an impressive field stretcher out of Texas A&M, told reporters at his pro day that the Titans are one of six teams he has scheduled meetings with. Concepcion is considered a fringe first-round pick who might be gone or might be ripe for the picking when the Titans use their second-round pick at No. 35.

Caleb Banks, DL, Florida (No. 35 prospect)

Banks told reporters after Florida’s pro day that he had a visit scheduled with the Titans, along with visits to Kansas City, Baltimore, Detroit, Arizona, Denver, Atlanta and the Chargers.

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Treydan Stukes, CB, Arizona (No. 65 prospect)

Stukes told Sports Illustrated that he took a meeting with the Titans, putting him on the radar as a potential third-round pick candidate.

Tristan Leigh, OT, Clemson (No. 271 prospect)

Leigh, a three-year starter at left tackle for Clemson, has visited with the Titans, per a report from Fowler.

Travis Burke, OT, Memphis (No. 354 prospect)

Burke is a bottom-of-the-draft offensive lineman prospect who visited with the Titans, per Sports Illustrated’s Justin Melo.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.



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What we learned as Vanderbilt baseball sweeps Tennessee for first time since 2013

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What we learned as Vanderbilt baseball sweeps Tennessee for first time since 2013


For a Vanderbilt vs Tennessee baseball rivalry already full of lore, the Commodores added a unique chapter with their weekend series at Hawkins Field.

Vanderbilt (17-12, 5-4 SEC) won all three games via walk-off: 3-2 win in 10 innings on March 27; 6-5 in 16 innings on March 28, and 16-15 on March 29. The final game ended with an “ultimate grand slam” by Tommy Goodin while down three in the bottom of the ninth inning to sweep the 21st-ranked Vols (18-10, 3-6).

The three games were all different, with the opener being a pitchers duel between Connor Fennell and Tennessee’s Brandon Arvidson and Tegan Kuhns. The second game was a marathon in which each team had one five-run inning. In the third game, pitchers on both sides were still feeling the effects of the previous game as Vanderbilt won a high-scoring shootout.

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“Emotionally, that’s probably going be my biggest concern,” coach Tim Corbin said. ” . . . It’s a lot of baseball. But I think the strength is these kids are young. They’ve got a day to get back, kind of get their body back a little bit, to stay away from here. There’s a ripple effect that takes place from playing three games, emotionally draining and tough games.”

Here’s what we learned.

Vanderbilt’s offense comes through when it needs to

Vanderbilt this season has often struggled to get the big hit, constantly leaving runners stranded. This weekend, the Commodores were able to come through with timely hits. Brodie Johnston recorded eight hits in the series, including a home run, while Ryker Waite had two doubles and a home run among his four hits.

Different players came through in every big situation. In Game 1, Logan Johnstone had the walk-off single. In Game 2, Mike Mancini and Ryker Waite both hit home runs and Mack Whitcomb had the walk-off squeeze bunt. In Game 3, Johnston and Rustan Rigdon hit home runs, while Johnstone, Chris Maldonado and Whitcomb each had a pair of RBIs.

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Vanderbilt hit for plenty of power, too, with four doubles and six home runs in the series. The Vols had three doubles and two homers.

“It was a wild series,” Corbin said. “Polarizing, no doubt, felt that way, too. I think that’s why it becomes very emotional, because you have periods of not moving the ball and periods of moving the ball. So always comes down to timely hits, doesn’t it?”

Vanderbilt finds bullpen contributors

With six pitchers injured, including Austin Nye, who is out for the season, Vanderbilt has struggled to get production out of its bullpen. While that group was up and down throughout the series, the Commodores got significant production out of a few arms they hadn’t in the past.

In Game 2, freshman Tyler Baird pitched five scoreless innings, walking two and striking out four. Going into the outing, he’d had an ERA of 6.89, with 12 walks in 15⅔ innings, and hadn’t lasted even an inning last week against Mississippi State. Replacing him, fellow freshman Nate Schlote threw three scoreless innings, with two walks and three strikeouts. In Game 3, Jakob Schulz threw 3⅔ scoreless innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.

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“That’s really what it is, you’re pitching for the first few times in the conference, you get tentative,” Corbin said. “(Baird) was tentative against Mississippi State. But I also know that that bus ride was probably a long one for him, and (pitching coach Scott Brown) did a good job of grabbing him right away, like a little small car accident, getting him back in the driver’s seat again to drive, and he did. Made a good adjustment.”

Vanderbilt gets back on track

The Commodores were reeling entering the week. They’d lost five straight games, including getting swept at Mississippi State. There were questions of whether they would even make the postseason.

Now they are in a better spot. With new contributors in the bullpen and the offense stepping up, Vanderbilt can feel better heading to Texas A&M for a weekend series April 3-5.

“I think it’ll be very huge,” Goodin said. “I think this is a very big, big boost . . . This definitely could be a really good turning point for all of us. And, you know, really going in there and playing at the caliber that we play at, just like this, it’s awesome.”

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

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Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes

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Has Tennessee ever made a Final Four? Vols hope third time’s a charm under Barnes


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For the third straight season, Rick Barnes has Tennessee basketball in the Elite Eight. After Sunday, March 29’s game against No. 1 Michigan, he’s hoping to have taken the Vols where they’ve never been before.

Despite becoming a March Madness fixture, the Tennessee Vols have never, in their history, made the Final Four. Despite a pedigree of modest success, including 11 regular season SEC titles and and five conference tournament championships (most recently in 2022), Tennessee has not been able to cross the threshold to college basketball’s most coveted weekend.

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The Barnes era marks the closest Tennessee has come, with consistency, even though its best shot arguably came before Barnes’ time. The Vols’ first Elite Eight trip was under Bruce Pearl in 2010, while Barnes was still roaming the Longhorns bench in Texas.

Barnes has taken Tennessee to the 2024, 2025, and 2026 Elite Eights. There’s an argument to be made 2026 is his most impressive run yet, as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest bracket.

The Vols went as a No. 2 seed in both 2024 and 2025, ultimately losing to the No. 1 seeds of their respective brackets in the Elite Eight. While it could be easy to think it will be more of the same Sunday against No. 1 Michigan, Tennessee has now taken down No. 3 Virginia and No. 2 Iowa State to get to this point. So perhaps one more upset is in store.

Has Tennessee basketball ever made a Final Four?

Tennessee has not made a Final Four in its history, making it one of five SEC schools to not get to the national semifinal round.

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The others are Missouri, Mississippi, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt. Alabama basketball made its first Final Four in 2024.

Tennessee basketball Elite Eight record

The Vols are 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with losses in 2010, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Here’s a look at their full history in the fourth full round of the tournament.

  • 2010: No. 5 Michigan State 70, No. 6 Tennessee 69
  • 2024: No. 1 Purdue 72, No. 2 Tennessee 66
  • 2025: No. 1 Houston 69, No. 2 Tennessee 50
  • 2026: TBD, vs. No. 1 Michigan

Rick Barnes Elite Eight record

Barnes is not just defined by his career at Tennessee. He does have a Final Four appearance, winning his first Elite Eight game with Texas in 2003. Since then, though, he is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, with two losses at both Texas and Tennessee.



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