Orange Begin Players Era Championship With #2 Houston

Game Details: Monday, November 24^th, Las Vegas, N.V., 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Live Stream: TNT
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Syracuse is out west in Las Vegas, Nevada to take part in the Players Era Championship.

The Orange (4-0) are set to begin the event on Monday evening, facing off with last year's national runner-up and currently second-ranked Houston (5-0). The game is set to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Firing on All Cylinders
The Orange have run out to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2017-18 season, with an average scoring margin of 28.3. Namely, the defense has shined for Syracuse, holding opponents to just 53.3 points per game, the lowest of any 'Division I team in the nation. Opponents are shooting just 70-of-226 (.310) from the field against the Orange thus far, also the nation's top mark.

Syracuse was tested by the Monmouth Hawks last week, who scored 73 points against the stout Orange defense. While the Hawks were able to muster the highest point total by a Syracuse opponent thus far, the Orange limited them to 22-of-57 (.386) shooting from the field. The Orange also forced 12 turnovers in the win, with junior Naithan George adding two steals to bring his season total to a team-high 10.

Offensive Metrics
Meanwhile, the Orange have employed a very efficient offense thus far, shooting 124-of-236 (.525) from the field. Leading the way is sophomore Donnie Freeman, who's averaging 17.8 points per game thus far. Freshman Kiyan Anthony has been close behind, averaging 14.8 points per contest.

The efficient shooting has complimented the dominant defense thus far. The Orange have five players on the roster who are shooting over .500 from the field with at least 20 attempts through four games. Sophomore Donnie Freeman has led the way, averaging 17.8 points per game on 20-of-40 (.500) shooting. Joining Freeman in shooting over .500 are William Kyle III, who is shooting 19-of-26 (.731), Sadiq White Jr. at a 12-of-20 (.600) clip, Kiyan Anthony knocking down 23-of-42 (.548) of his shots, and George shooting 18-of-35 (.514).

The Orange also benefit from the return of senior guard J.J. Starling, who left the season opener against Binghamton with a lower body injury early, which forced him to miss the following two games. Starling made his return against Monmouth and scored 11 points.

Scouting #2 Houston
The Orange's matchup with the Houston Cougars will serve as an early-season test. The Cougars are coming off the heels of a season in which they went 35-5 before losing to Florida in the NCAA National Championship Game.

The Cougars have picked up right where they left off, going 5-0 while winning games by an average of 17.3 points per game.

The tilt will be a matchup between two of the nation's top defenses thus far, with the Cougars holding opponents to just 55.5 points per game. Houston has held its foes to less than 50 points in three of their last four games, including a 91-45 win over Rider in its most recent victory.

Redshirt Senior Emanuel Sharp, who has been with the Cougars since 2021, serves as the leader for Houston. Sharp was named the Big 12 Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player as well as the NCAA Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player. He's kept it rolling into the 2025-26 campaign, scoring 16.0 points per game on 27-of-61 (.443) shooting. He has also knocked down 13-of-35 (.371) from beyond the arc thus far. He scored a season-high 24 points over Lehigh.

Leading the way offensively for the Cougars is freshman Kingston Flemings, a four-star recruit out of San Antonio, Texas. The highly-touted recruit has lived up to the billing, averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game on 35-of-49 (.714) shooting from the field. The rookie helped lift the Cougars past #22 Auburn, 73-72, with a squad-best 22 points. Flemings has drawn the start in each of the first five games to start his career.

Houston is led by Kelvin Sampson, who is in his 12^th season at the helm of the Houston program, compiling 304 wins over that span. Over his 37-year career, Sampson has led teams to 20 NCAA Tournaments and is one of 15 coaches in NCAA history to lead four or more different programs to the Big Dance. Looking to keep Houston's streak of 10-straight 20-win seasons and seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances alive, Sampson has the Cougars primed with a roster mixed with youth and experience.

Series History
This is just third overall meeting between the two schools, with the series tied at one apiece. The Orange won the initial encounter in December of 1982 while Houston claimed the most recent matchup in 2021.

TICKETS
Syracuse season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets.

Orange Begin Players Era Championship With #2 Houston

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Players Mentioned

Kiyan Anthony

Donnie Freeman

Naithan George

William Kyle III

J.J. Starling

Sadiq White Jr.

Syracuse University Athletics