Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team takes on the No. 3 Houston Cougars at 6 p.m., Monday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The game will air on TNT.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Houston to see the latest updates
Kiyan Anthony continues to be a difference-maker for the Orange.
He deflected a Kingston Flemings pass in the backcourt trapping with Starling that resulted in a quick turnover and dunk.
Anthony then handled the Houston trap and found Betsey for another 3.
Syracuse is playing fearless and Betsey provides a spark
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 17, Houston 12, with 11:08 remaining
Naithan George asserted himself early in this one, but its the Orange defense, physicality and perimeter shooting that has given Adrian Autry’s team a spark.
Tyler Betsey has drained two 3s off the bench, then the Cincinnati got into the lane and earned a pair of free throws at the under-12 media timeout.
Syracuse is playing fearless.
George dribbled into the teeth of the defense and had the ball taken away but came back to hit a 3 to atone for the turnover. Then George got to the foul line (making 1-for-2).
JJ Starling opened the game with an open corner 3, and William Kyle threw a lob to Sadiq White to give the Orange a 5-4 lead.
Between all that, these teams have gotten after it defensively.
JoJo Tugler, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last season, blocked shots by George, Starling and Kingz in the first three minutes of the game.
Pregame
Syracuse tips off the first of three games in the Players Era Festival on Monday against last year’s NCAA runner-up.
Last time these two met came in the Sweet 16 round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, SU’s most recent NCAAT appearance.
Houston is once again a popular Final Four pick, and Syracuse has an ever stiffer test on its hands playing without star forward Donnie Freeman.
The sophomore leads SU with 17.8 points per game and is second on the team with 5.3 rebounds per game. He packs an inside-out game and tantalizing length that make him among the team’s most indispensable players.
With Freeman out, SU elevates freshman Sadiq White to the starting lineup, and Cincinnati transfer Tyler Betsey is available to suit up after missing the team’s previous game against Monmouth.
Houston represents a quantum leap in competition compared to SU’s first four opponents. The Cougars are regarded as one of the country’s top defensive and rebounding teams. They play at such a methodical, controlled pace and rarely give up any easy looks.
Guards Naithan George, JJ Starling and Nate Kingz will likely have to play well for SU to hang within the 14.5-point spread, let alone scalp the Cougars to make a national statement.
