Kansas Jayhawks Knock Off Syracuse Orange At Players Era Festival
For the second time in as many days, the Syracuse Orange stepped onto the hardwood in Las Vegas as the underdog and gave a powerhouse everything it could handle. And for the second time, they walked off with a loss, a heartbreaking 71-60 defeat to Kansas that felt more like a missed opportunity than a blowout.
One day after pushing the No. 3 Houston Cougars to overtime in a gritty, fist-clenching thriller, the Orange (4-2) just couldn’t find that last gear to get over the hump against the Jayhawks. It was a valiant effort, especially considering they were once again without their top scorer, Donnie Freeman, sidelined with a foot injury.
Syracuse fought, scratched, and clawed to stay in it. But when the final bell tolled, or in this case, the final six minutes ticked away, Kansas found another level. They unleashed a decisive 19-10 run that put the game on ice, leaving the Orange wondering what could have been.
Kansas Clicks When It Counts
You can’t say Syracuse didn’t have its chances. After trailing by nine at halftime, they came out swinging. A Kiyan Anthony three-point play sliced the lead to 46-40 with 13 minutes to go. The crowd felt it; a comeback was brewing. But then, crickets. Two straight empty possessions for the Orange were answered with a gut-punching 3-pointer and an and-one by Kansas, and just like that, the lead was back to 11.
Still, Syracuse refused to die. William Kyle threw down a monster offensive rebound and dunk, and JJ Starling followed with a pure 3-pointer. The deficit was back to five. When Tyler Betsey, who had been colder than a winter morning in the Midwest, finally drained a three to make it 52-50 with six minutes left, the building buzzed with upset potential.
But that’s when Kansas reminded everyone why they’re, well, Kansas. They ripped off an 11-0 run that was as swift as it was brutal. Game, set, match. Syracuse had no answer.
An Uphill Battle Without Their Star
Let’s be real: both teams were playing with a handicap. Kansas was also missing its own phenom, freshman Darryn Peterson, who’s dealing with a hamstring issue. But the Jayhawks’ depth proved to be the difference-maker.
Syracuse’s offense, on the other hand, was a sputtering engine all night. They made field goals on back-to-back possessions exactly once. After that, it was a herky-jerky mess. Nothing came easy. It didn’t help that their free-throw shooting was, to put it mildly, atrocious. After going 12-for-29 against Houston, they followed it up with a 13-for-23 performance. You just can’t leave that many points on the table against a team like Kansas, which calmly sank 18 of its 20 attempts.
In the end, Syracuse looks like a team that can hang with anyone but is still figuring out how to beat them. The effort was there. The heart was there. The execution, especially down the stretch, was not. They’ll head back to the drawing board, knowing they’re close, but close doesn’t get you a win in Vegas.
