Orange Face Kansas Tuesday in Players Era Championship

Game Details: Tuesday, November 25^th, Las Vegas, N.V., 3:30 p.m. (EST)
Live Stream: TNT
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The Syracuse Orange (4-1) will continue the Players Era Championship on Tuesday afternoon by taking on the Kansas Jayhawks (4-2) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Looking to Bounce Back
The Orange will look to respond quickly following their first loss of the season, an overtime defeat to #3/2 Houston in Monday's Players Era Championship opener.

The Orange received contributions from across the roster in the loss, with six players reaching double figures. Sophomore Tyler Betsey led the way with a career-high 16 points in his return from injury, knocking down 4-of-8 from three-point range including the game-tying three with 55 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Senior William Kyle III posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while seniors J.J. Starling and Nate Kingz alongside junior Naithan George and freshman Kiyan Anthony each chipped in double-digit scoring efforts. Syracuse's bench was a bright spot in the defeat, outscoring Houston's reserves 26-7.

Contributions from the Newcomers
Syracuse has received significant production from several newcomers in the early going, including key performances against Houston.

Kyle III has anchored the Orange frontcourt with 10.2 points per game while pacing the team at 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, shooting 23-of-32 (.719) from the field. His four points during Syracuse's pivotal 11-0 run to close regulation against Houston provided the spark that, combined with Betsey's clutch three-pointer, forced overtime.

Freshman Kiyan Anthony has been a consistent offensive threat through five games, reaching double figures in four of his five appearances while averaging 13.8 points. Anthony chipped in 10 more versus the Cougars.

Junior point guard Naithan George orchestrates the offense with a team-leading 5.8 assists per game while supplementing with 11.4 points. He logged a game-high 38 minutes against Houston, delivering 11 points in the effort.

Senior guard Nate Kingz has drawn the starting nod in all five appearances, contributing 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. After setting a season-best 15 points against Monmouth, he followed with 10 versus the Cougars.

Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks improved to 4-2 on Monday with a 71-61 victory over Notre Dame in the opening round of the Players Era Championship.

Kansas continues to play without star freshman Darryn Peterson, who has missed four consecutive games with a hamstring injury.

Yet, the Jayhawks continue to find ways to get to the basket without Peterson. Kansas saw four different players score in double digits in the win over Notre Dame, with sophomore forward Flory Bidunga leading the way. Bidunga scored a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

Bidunga has been the Jayhawks' catalyst in Peterson's absence, averaging 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 44-of-63 (.698) from the field.

Illinois transfer Tre White has emerged as a reliable scoring option, averaging 14.3 points per game. The veteran guard scored 22 points against Duke in the Champions Classic. Senior Melvin Council Jr. orchestrates the offense with 5.5 assists per game while adding 9.2 points.

Kansas is led by Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self, who is in his 23rd season at the helm. Self is the winningest coach in Kansas history with 820 career victories and has guided the program to two NCAA Championships (2008, 2022), and four Final Four appearances.

Series History
The two programs have met six times before, splitting the all-time series with three wins apiece. The Orange and Jayhawks met in the 2003 National Championship, with the Orange winning their first-ever National Title by a score of 81-78.

This marks the first meeting between the two squads since 2017 when Kansas won 76-60.

Tickets
Season and individual tickets are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets.

Orange Face Kansas Tuesday in Players Era Championship

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Players Mentioned

Kiyan Anthony

Tyler Betsey

Naithan George

Nate Kingz

William Kyle III

J.J. Starling

Syracuse University Athletics