Syracuse men’s basketball (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) entered the second day of the Players Era Festival still in search of a win in Vegas after taking No. 3 Houston to a down to the wire overtime battle. However, the Orange fell short once again against Kansas (5-2, 0-0 Big 12 Conference) in a 71-60 defeat.
In day two of the Players Era Festival, @Cuse_MBB fell to @KUHoops 71-60 for its second straight loss. @BurgessLuke03 and @SamuelReisTV had the call from Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/hKfFHyU9on
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) November 25, 2025
Syracuse couldn’t find its rhythm early, managing just 25 points in the first half. Kansas tightened up defensively as the period went on, forcing the Orange into nearly a three minute scoring drought. In the final 10 minutes before the break, SU mustered only 10 points, struggling to keep pace with the Jayhawks pressure.
The second half was a tale of two Syracuse offenses. The Orange cut Kansas’s lead to only 5 just a few minutes into the second frame and eventually trailed only by 2. However every time the Orange got close, the Jayhawks went on a run. After SU made it a one score game, Kansas went on a 11 point run to push the lead back to 13. In the end Syracuse got outrebounded 49-29, shot a measly 32% clip from the floor and 23% from 3. On top of that, the Cuse had no players scoring in double digits until just over 2 minutes left in the game when Tyler Betsey drilled his fourth three pointer of the game.
Betsey has been a standout player for the Orange in Vegas after the freshman knocked down four three-pointers against the Jayhawks and three against No. 3 Houston the night before. Prior to the tournament, Betsey was only averaging 5 points a game and now has had back-to-back double-digit games. Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry knows his squad's talent runs deep.
“I’m just telling you right now for the whole season we’re going to have different guys leading this team and scoring.”
Forward Tyler Betsey has been keeping @Cuse_MBB in it down the stretch.@SamuelReisTV was on the mic for a huge triple. pic.twitter.com/CxzCkm7Roy
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) November 25, 2025
Syracuse’s defense succumbed to similar ups and downs after locking down Kansas and holding them scoreless for a five minute drought in the final half of the matchup. The Orange’s defense was also relentless, tallying seven steals and four blocks against the Jayhawks. Despite these factors the lack of consistency from SU’s offense made it difficult to gain on KU, allowing it to lead from the first three minutes of the game and on.
Against the Jayhawks, Syracuse was more efficient from behind the charity stripe, but barely, going 15-23 of its free throws. That’s at least an improvement from SU’s previous matchup where they shot a mere 41% making only 12 of 29 attempts. Free throws have been a consistent struggle for the Cuse ranking bottom 10 in the country averaging only about a 55% shooting percentage from the stripe. Despite multiple lackluster free throw performances, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry isn’t concerned about his team’s ability.
Syracuse still has one more opportunity to grab a win in Vegas. SU battles Iowa State. Gametime between the Orange and the Cyclones is set for 1 p.m., WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 12:30 p.m.