This Stunning Note Shows That Syracuse Basketball Still Has a Lot to Prove

Brady Farkas

Nov 24, 2025, 15:43

Brady Farkas

Nov 24, 2025, 15:43

Updated at: Nov 24, 2025, 16:09

The oddsmakers don't feel real good about the Orange heading into this week's Players Era Championship.

The Syracuse University men's basketball team is 4-0 heading into a critical early-season test against No. 2 Houston on Monday night (6 p.m. ET) at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.

And while the 4-0 record is impressive, the Orange still aren't being respected nationally, as evidenced by this note from College Basketball Insider Jon Rothstein.

Players Era Winner Odds:

Houston +340

Gonzaga +480

Tennessee +500

Iowa St +700

Michigan +1200

Kansas +1400

Alabama +1700

St. John’s +1800

Baylor +1800

ND +2200

Auburn +3000

SDSU +3000

Oregon +3500

Creighton +6500

Maryland +8000

UNLV +10000

Syracuse +12500

Via @FDSportsbook.

First and foremost, how does this tournament work?

The Players Era Championship is a revolutionary idea, with each participating team getting $1 million and other money having the potential to be earned. The money is great for NIL and paying players, while the strength of the field and potential victories will help tournament resumes come March.

The format is complex, with Mike Waters of Syracuse.com providing an excellent write-up of how the event actually plays out. It is not traditional bracket style. The Orange are guaranteed three games. They'll play Houston on Monday and Kansas on Tuesday. A third game will be played either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how the first two games go.

An explanation of the Players Era Festival’s schedule and Syracuse’s potential matchups The Players Era Festival, an 18-team event being held in Las Vegas, is not a traditional tournament with a bracketed field.

These odds are a bad look for the Orange

This is a very strong field, and part of Syracuse's long odds come from playing powers like Houston and Kansas, but still, the Orange ranking dead last should be completely unacceptable to everyone within the athletic department.

The fact that non-traditional powers like Oregon, San Diego State and UNLV have better title odds should also be alarming.

How can the Orange change perception?

Well, for starters, they can keep doing things that they've done well in the non-conference so far, which includes playing excellent defense. The Orange have been particularly stingy at the rim, with guys like William Kyle III and Donnie Freeman holding down the interior.

Then, they can improve in areas they've struggled in, namely free-throw shooting. The Orange are one of the worst teams nationally at the charity stripe and just went 19-of-33 in a win against Monmouth on Tuesday night.

What are the Orange saying?

When asked earlier this week about playing in an event with all these "big programs," head coach Adrian Autry made sure to re-affirm that Syracuse is also a big program.

You know, you said 'big programs out there.' This is a big program. And I think, obviously we haven't had the success that we want, but this is a big program and I think we deserve to be there and we're excited to be there for the opportunity. Syracuse is there and that's the thing that we're excited about: to represent us and we're not worrying about no one else. You know, Syracuse is in there, and that's how we approaching that and that's how we will continue to approach it. And that's my job, and that's all our coaching staff's job. That's our player's job to think that way and to be that way and to play that way.

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