The Syracuse Orange (4-1) and Kansas Jayhawks (4-2) are set to face off in the Players Era Festival on Tuesday, going head-to-head in Las Vegas. The ACC vs. Big 12 showdown will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
The Jayhawks are 5.5-point favorites in the matchup with -218 moneyline odds, and the total has been set at 143.5 points. Here is a preview of the non-conference showdown featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Syracuse vs. Kansas Preview
Syracuse Preview
Following exhibition wins over Buffalo and Pace, Syracuse opened the regular season with an 85-47 win over Binghamton. The Orange followed that up by beating Delaware State 83-43 and Drexel 80-50, all before they narrowly avoided an upset bid from Monmouth by notching a five-point victory. Syracuse had its first real test on Monday, taking No. 3 Houston to overtime only to lose 78-74.
Sophomore forward Donnie Freeman has been the Orange’s leading scorer so far this season at 17.8 points per game, but he is out for at least the week with a lower-body injury. That means freshman Kiyan Anthony – son of Carmelo – will have to step into a larger role. Anthony is already averaging 13.8 points per game, shooting 65.6% from two, 27.8% from beyond the arc and 46.2% at the free-throw line. Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George leads the team with 5.8 assists per game, while UCLA transfer William Kyle III is averaging a team-high 9.0 rebounds a night.
Through five games, Syracuse’s opponents have shot just 34.6% on two-point attempts, which is good for the second-lowest mark in the country. Its 27.7% three-point percentage against also ranks No. 49.
Syracuse is ranked No. 51 in the latest KenPom ratings, boasting the No. 64 adjusted offense and No. 49 adjusted defense in the country. With the No. 349 strength of schedule, however, the analytics aren’t putting too much weight on the Orange’s pre-Las Vegas slate.
Kansas Preview
The Jayhawks notched an exhibition win over Louisville before the season started, but their regular-season slate didn’t get off to a particularly successful start. After they beat Green Bay 94-51, Kansas lost a road game to North Carolina and a neutral-site contest to Duke. Even with wins over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi and Princeton breaking up those two losses, the Jayhawks didn’t have the best resume. They finally notched a high-major victory by besting Notre Dame 71-61 on Monday.
Like Syracuse, Kansas is also dealing with the injury bug. Star freshman Darryn Peterson is out with a hamstring issue, while senior guard Jayden Dawson suffered a wrist injury Monday and is doubtful for the rest of the Players Era tournament. Beyond them, though, the Jayhawks still have forward Flory Bidunga averaging 16.7 points and 7.7 rebounds on 69.8% shooting from the field. Illinois transfer wing Tre White is averaging 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on .542/.412/.771 splits. Freshman Bryson Tiller is shooting 36.8% from deep en route to 9.8 points per game, while St. Bonaventure transfer Melvin Council Jr. is averaging 9.2 points and 5.5 assists per game.
The Jayhawks’ 6.7 blocks per game rank No. 8 in Division I, all while their opponents’ 2.0 blocks per game rank No. 22 in the other direction. Their three-point defense is the eighth-best in the nation, as well.
Kansas comes in at No. 22 in the KenPom rankings, mostly off the back of its defense. The Jayhawks rank No. 11 in adjusted defensive efficiency but No. 61 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Syracuse vs. Kansas Pick, Best Bet
The Jayhawks are the safe moneyline bet – 85% of bets are going their direction – but they don’t present great value. Meanwhile, Kansas and Notre Dame finished with a combined 132 points on Monday. Syracuse and Houston reached 152, but the total sat at 134 prior to overtime. The Jayhawks’ recent neutral-site game versus the Blue Devils also only featured 144 points.
Kansas likes to take it slow, running the 232nd-fastest tempo in the country with 69.1 possessions per 40 minutes. Syracuse is certainly faster at 70.8 possessions per 40 minutes, but it could very easily fall victim to a slugfest should coach Bill Self decide to go conservative down two rotation pieces.
Two banged up, solid-to-great defensive teams running moderate-to-slow tempos on a neutral site suggests the under, even with a relatively low point total.
