Previewing Syracuse Basketball’s First Big Tests at the Players Era Festival
It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year.
Whether you want to call it “Turkey Tournaments”, “Ballroom Madness”, or “Feast Week”, college hoops fans receive a Turkey-sized portion of top-ranked matchups all throughout Thanksgiving week. On today alone (Monday), Division 1 games start at 11 am, with the final games tipping off at 10:30 pm. 11 games today feature at least one ranked opponent.
Syracuse fans are starved for positive sports news following the recent football game; the Orange were dominated 70-7 by the Fighting Irish, with Notre Dame’s first 21 points being scored before the offense even touched the ball. SU football now sits at a 3-8, with its lone game against a 1-10 Boston College squad.
‘Cuse fans have been able to hang their hats on a 4-0 start in basketball, but the Orange’s true test comes this weekend: Las Vegas’ Players Era Festival.
#2 Houston, Monday, 5 p.m.
Syracuse opens the tourney against last season’s runner-up. The Cougars come into the match also undefeated, but with an ranked win against Auburn under their belt. Houston’s freshman duo of Chris Cenac Jr and Kingston Flemings has settled in nicely to begin their college basketball careers with 11 and 17 points per game, respectively. Here’s where SU can capitalize: despite Cenac’s 6-foot-11-inch frame, the Cougars don’t have a true center compared to Kelvin Sampson coached teams of the past. Cenac has the length, but he is more of the new-era “Stretch” big man than the punishing, back to the basketball big that would give this smaller Orange teams real problems. Connecting the similarities to SU even more, Houston hasn’t shot the three ball to begin the season (30.6%). Its matchup against Auburn saw a 29% clip in which starting guards Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp shot a combined 9-26 from beyond the arc. Houston will look to work the ball inside; The ‘Cuse’s defense will truly be tested from the interior. Sophomore Donnie Freeman and UCLA transfer William Kyle III have been defensive leaders by displaying highlight-level blocks and holding Delaware State to under 20 points in a half, but Houston presents the first legitimate physical test for Adrian Autry’s squad. How much will the Orange’s summer workouts on being “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” pay off tonight in Vegas?
#22 Kansas, Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.
Win, lose, or draw, Syracuse has another game less than 24 hours after facing one of the top teams in the country. The Orange’s matchup against the 22nd ranked Jayhawks comes with a recent twist; star true freshman Darryn Peterson, a potential #1 overall NBA draft pick, is slated to miss the entire tournament with a hamstring injury. While Kansas is still an incredibly talented team, the loss of a starting point guard cannot be understanded. The Jayhawks have pivoted towards fielding a bigger lineup, with 6-foot-11 freshman forward Brandon Tiller sliding into the vacant starter spot. However, the loss of Peterson’s skills with the basketball hurt KU the most in its last power five matchup against #5 Duke. Kansas shot an abysmal 19% from three-point land, and the lack of depth shortening the bench to just five points on the night. Peterson’s injury forces each rotational player to slide up a seat: in this case, seats that players aren’t necessarily ready to play in through three weeks of the season. Syracuse’s guard combo of J.J. Starling and Naithan George are poised for big nights against a team undermanned particularly at guard. If they aren’t performing as expected, Autry could look to the guard-forward unicorn in Kiyan Anthony to provide a spark as he’s previously done against mid-major squads.
Wednesday, TBD
The Orange will play a third game on Wednesday. That opponent and time depends on how Syracuse and the rest of the Players Era field performances over Monday and Tuesday. Note that eight of the 18 Players Era squads are currently ranked, so SU is likely to face another quality opponent to close out its stay in the Sin City.
Happy Thanksgiving, Orange fans!
It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year.
Whether you want to call it “Turkey Tournaments”, “Ballroom Madness”, or “Feast Week”, college hoops fans receive a Turkey-sized portion of top-ranked matchups all throughout Thanksgiving week. On today alone (Monday), Division 1 games start at 11 am, with the final games tipping off at 10:30 pm. 11 games today feature at least one ranked opponent.
Syracuse fans are starved for positive sports news following the recent football game; the Orange were dominated 70-7 by the Fighting Irish, with Notre Dame’s first 21 points being scored before the offense even touched the ball. SU football now sits at a 3-8, with its lone game against a 1-10 Boston College squad.
‘Cuse fans have been able to hang their hats on a 4-0 start in basketball, but the Orange’s true test comes this weekend: Las Vegas’ Players Era Festival.
#2 Houston, Monday, 5 p.m.
Syracuse opens the tourney against last season’s runner-up. The Cougars come into the match also undefeated, but with an ranked win against Auburn under their belt. Houston’s freshman duo of Chris Cenac Jr and Kingston Flemings has settled in nicely to begin their college basketball careers with 11 and 17 points per game, respectively. Here’s where SU can capitalize: despite Cenac’s 6-foot-11-inch frame, the Cougars don’t have a true center compared to Kelvin Sampson coached teams of the past. Cenac has the length, but he is more of the new-era “Stretch” big man than the punishing, back to the basketball big that would give this smaller Orange teams real problems. Connecting the similarities to SU even more, Houston hasn’t shot the three ball to begin the season (30.6%). Its matchup against Auburn saw a 29% clip in which starting guards Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp shot a combined 9-26 from beyond the arc. Houston will look to work the ball inside; The ‘Cuse’s defense will truly be tested from the interior. Sophomore Donnie Freeman and UCLA transfer William Kyle III have been defensive leaders by displaying highlight-level blocks and holding Delaware State to under 20 points in a half, but Houston presents the first legitimate physical test for Adrian Autry’s squad. How much will the Orange’s summer workouts on being “Bigger, Faster, Stronger” pay off tonight in Vegas?
#22 Kansas, Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.
Win, lose, or draw, Syracuse has another game less than 24 hours after facing one of the top teams in the country. The Orange’s matchup against the 22nd ranked Jayhawks comes with a recent twist; star true freshman Darryn Peterson, a potential #1 overall NBA draft pick, is slated to miss the entire tournament with a hamstring injury. While Kansas is still an incredibly talented team, the loss of a starting point guard cannot be understanded. The Jayhawks have pivoted towards fielding a bigger lineup, with 6-foot-11 freshman forward Brandon Tiller sliding into the vacant starter spot. However, the loss of Peterson’s skills with the basketball hurt KU the most in its last power five matchup against #5 Duke. Kansas shot an abysmal 19% from three-point land, and the lack of depth shortening the bench to just five points on the night. Peterson’s injury forces each rotational player to slide up a seat: in this case, seats that players aren’t necessarily ready to play in through three weeks of the season. Syracuse’s guard combo of J.J. Starling and Naithan George are poised for big nights against a team undermanned particularly at guard. If they aren’t performing as expected, Autry could look to the guard-forward unicorn in Kiyan Anthony to provide a spark as he’s previously done against mid-major squads.
Wednesday, TBD
The Orange will play a third game on Wednesday. That opponent and time depends on how Syracuse and the rest of the Players Era field performances over Monday and Tuesday. Note that eight of the 18 Players Era squads are currently ranked, so SU is likely to face another quality opponent to close out its stay in the Sin City.
Happy Thanksgiving, Orange fans!
