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Syracuse To Compete In Players Era Men's Championship In Las Vegas
7/14/2025 11:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Syracuse will face 2025 NCAA Tournament participants Houston and Kansas in the 2025 Players Era Men's Championship, Nov. 24-27, in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Orange are scheduled to square off with Houston, the 2025 NCAA runnerup, on Nov. 24. The encounter with Kansas follows on Nov. 25. Syracuse will have one other contest in the event on either Nov. 26 or Nov. 27, depending on the outcome of the first two days of play.
The Players Era Men's Championship features international-style group play with championship matchups. The event offers the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of the games.
The field includes: Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, St. John's, San Diego State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UNLV.
The Syracuse-Houston Series:
The Orange return their top two scorers, senior guard J.J. Starling (17.8 ppg.) and sophomore forward Donnie Freeman (14.3 ppg., 7.8 rpg.), from the 2024-25 squad that was 14-19. Third-year coach Adrian Autry has added six transfers and five freshmen to the Syracuse roster.
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Houston
The Cougars were 35-5 and reached the 2025 NCAA Championship game before losing to title-winning Florida, 65-63. Coach Kelvin Sampson directed Houston to a sweep of the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Guard Emanuel Sharp, the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player, returns for the Cougars.
Kansas
     Coach Bill Self guided the Jayhawks to a 21-13 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Kansas has rebuilt its roster with high-profile guards and transfers Melvin Council Jr. (St. Bonaventure), Jayden Dawson (Loyola-Chicago), and Tre White (Illinois).
Television/Streaming
     TNT Sports will serve as the exclusive U.S. distribution partner for the Men's Players Era Championship, televising and streaming all games through TNY, truTV and HBO Max.
Players Era
     Players Era is an EverWonder Studio company. EverWonder Studio is a content studio and production company across documentary, live, experiential and brand partnerships.
Tickets
     Ticket details for the Players Era Men's Championship will be released later.
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The Orange are scheduled to square off with Houston, the 2025 NCAA runnerup, on Nov. 24. The encounter with Kansas follows on Nov. 25. Syracuse will have one other contest in the event on either Nov. 26 or Nov. 27, depending on the outcome of the first two days of play.
The Players Era Men's Championship features international-style group play with championship matchups. The event offers the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of the games.
The field includes: Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, St. John's, San Diego State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UNLV.
The Syracuse-Houston Series:
- Syracuse and Houston have split their two meetings.
- The Orange won a Dec. 11, 1982 encounter, 92-87.
- The Cougars captured the last pairing, a March 27, 2021 meeting in the NCAA Tournament, 62-46.
- Syracuse and Houston have each won three contests in the all-time series.
- The most prominent Orange triumph against the Jayhawks came in the 2003 NCAA Final, an 81-78 win.
- The Jayhawks triumphed in the first-ever pairing between the two programs, 71-41, on Dec. 14, 1968.
- Kansas also claimed the most recent matchup, a 76-60 victory on Dec. 2, 2017.
The Orange return their top two scorers, senior guard J.J. Starling (17.8 ppg.) and sophomore forward Donnie Freeman (14.3 ppg., 7.8 rpg.), from the 2024-25 squad that was 14-19. Third-year coach Adrian Autry has added six transfers and five freshmen to the Syracuse roster.
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Houston
The Cougars were 35-5 and reached the 2025 NCAA Championship game before losing to title-winning Florida, 65-63. Coach Kelvin Sampson directed Houston to a sweep of the Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Guard Emanuel Sharp, the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player, returns for the Cougars.
Kansas
     Coach Bill Self guided the Jayhawks to a 21-13 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Kansas has rebuilt its roster with high-profile guards and transfers Melvin Council Jr. (St. Bonaventure), Jayden Dawson (Loyola-Chicago), and Tre White (Illinois).
Television/Streaming
     TNT Sports will serve as the exclusive U.S. distribution partner for the Men's Players Era Championship, televising and streaming all games through TNY, truTV and HBO Max.
Players Era
     Players Era is an EverWonder Studio company. EverWonder Studio is a content studio and production company across documentary, live, experiential and brand partnerships.
Tickets
     Ticket details for the Players Era Men's Championship will be released later.
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Players Mentioned
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