For the second consecutive day, the Syracuse University men's basketball team fought valiantly but couldn't secure a victory at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.

After losing 78-74 against No. 3 Houston on Monday, the Orange dropped a 71-60 affair against the Kansas Jayhawks in Game 2.

Syracuse is now 4-2 on the campaign while Kansas improved to 5-2. Both teams will play another contest on Wednesday, though opponents and times are TBD.

Here's what you need to know:

Loss of Freeman looms large

While Syracuse is athletic enough to compete with good teams, even without big man Donnie Freeman, they aren't skilled enough offensively to consistently overcome his loss. The sophomore is averaging 17.8 ppg through his four games played this season, but he missed his second straight game because of a foot injury on Tuesday. It's unclear how long he'll be sidelined, but the Orange missed his presence dearly against the Jayhawks. 

They shot just 32 percent from the floor and were out-rebounded by 20 (49-29). Kansas also had more points in the paint (34-26).

Inside the box score

--In addition to poor shooting from the floor, Syracuse also struggled from three-point range, going just 7-of-30 (23 percent). Kansas shot 44 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three.

--While Syracuse was a little better than Monday's 12-of-29, they still struggled at the free-throw line, going just 13-of-23 (57 percent). That won't beat very many good teams.

--Syracuse got the game to within two (52-50) with about six minutes left, but the Jayhawks quickly put together an 11-0 run to pull away.

--Only two Syracuse players were in double-figures, and only one starter. Tyler Betsey had 12 off the bench while JJ Starling had 10.

--Will Kyle III had nine points and nine rebounds.

Another positive

Syracuse had only two turnovers on the day, which is outstanding. Had they been able to shoot better, the ability to hold onto the ball as well as they did could have led to a victory.

Secondly, Betsey is emerging as a nice scoring option for a team that could really use it. He was just 4-of-13 from the floor, so they'll need him to be more efficient, but it's his second straight day in double-figures.

Freshman Sadiq White Jr. earned his second straight start and chipped in nine, so it's nice to see dueling freshmen play well (Betsey).

Room for improvement

For the second straight day, Kiyan Anthony struggled with physicality. We mentioned that as a takeaway from Monday's game against Houston and it was evident again on Tuesday. He played just 18 minutes, scoring six points on just 2-of-12 shooting. He was extremely passive in the first half but did assert him more in the second.

They'll need him to do more of that going forward.

Related Syracuse Stories

ALIJAH WRIGHT's BIG DAY: The Syracuse alum made one of the plays of the NFL season on Sunday as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles. CLICK HERE: 

REALLY A LEARNING EXPERIENCE? Can the Orange really learn from Saturday's 70-7 loss against Notre Dame? CLICK HERE:

A BIG PROGRAM: Syracuse basketball coach Adrian Autry says his program is still a big one, despite the lack of recent success. CLICK HERE: 

Join the Conversation

Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!