Kansas

Syracuse’s upset bid comes up short again as Kansas pulls away late

Published

3 months ago

November 25, 2025

Syracuse’s upset bid comes up short again as Kansas pulls away late

Las Vegas ― For the second day in a row, the Syracuse Orange fought toe-to-toe with a heavily favored opponent, only to come up short of a big win.

One day after dropping a 78-74 overtime decision to No. 3 Houston, Syracuse fell 71-60 to Kansas on the second day of the Players Era Festival at the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena.

Making Syracuse’s performances even more remarkable is the Orange played without leading scorer Donnie Freeman, who is out with an injury to his right foot.

Kansas pulled away late, outscoring Syracuse 19 to 10 over the game’s final six minutes.

Syracuse’s record fell to 4-2 with the loss. The Orange will now wait to see if it plays on either Wednesday or Thursday, in addition to which team it will face in the final round of games of the Players Era Festival.

Players Era Festival Day 2: Syracuse vs Kansas

Tyler Betsey led Syracuse with 12 points, but the sophomore forward was 4-for-13 from the field. JJ Starling was 3-for-13 en route to his 10 points.

Syracuse couldn’t find any consistency on offense the entire game.

The Orange made field goals on consecutive possessions just once; on its first two possessions of the game.

After that, Syracuse’s scoring came in a herky-jerky fashion. There was never any flow or rhythm.

The Orange’s offensive problems weren’t helped by its continued poor shooting from the foul line. After making only 12 out of 29 free throws in Monday’s overtime loss to Houston, Syracuse went 13-for-23 at the line against Kansas. Some of those misses came on the front end of one-and-one opportunities, costing the Orange more points.

Kansas, on the other hand, went 18-for-20 at the free throw line.

But the Orange scrapped and clawed and somehow stayed in the game.

After trailing by nine points at halftime, Syracuse trimmed Kansas’ lead down to 46-40 on Kiyan Anthony’s three-point play with 13 minutes remaining.

Syracuse could have made it closer but failed to score on two straight possessions, including one that offered two chances to score, but Nate Kingz missed a 3-pointer and Naithan George couldn’t convert in the lane on the follow-up.

However, Syracuse, which had struggled to find consistent scoring for most of the game, went cold again. Two empty Syracuse possessions were bracketed by a Kansas 3-pointer and another traditional three-point play, giving the Jayhawks a 52-41 lead.

Syracuse refused to go away though. Orange center William Kyle fought his way to an offensive rebound and then slammed the ball back through a bruised rim. Then Starling swished a 3-pointer and, suddenly, the Kansas lead was down to 52-47.

Betsey, who had been cold all night, got the Orange to within 52-50 with a 3-pointer at the 6-minute mark.

But Kansas responded with an 11-0 run to which Syracuse had no answer.

Kansas and Syracuse both played without their star players. SU’s Freeman is out with an injured right foot, while Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson, who many project as the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is dealing with hamstring issues.

Kansas entered Tuesday’s game unranked with a 4-2 record. However, KenPom.com rated the Jayhawks, whose losses came against North Carolina and Duke, at No. 22.

The Syracuse players lacked the physical energy and mental sharpness that they displayed in Monday’s near-upset of Houston.

Kansas took a 34-25 halftime lead after holding Syracuse to 31% field goal shooting and crushing the Orange on the boards with 26 rebounds to just 11 for SU. The Orange was fortunate that Kansas only turned those extra opportunities into 12 points.

The Orange struggled to score against Kansas, especially when attacking the basket. The Syracuse players kept running into Kansas big men Flory Bidunga and Bryce Tiller.

When Syracuse couldn’t create any good looks, the Orange settled for 3-pointers. For the half, Syracuse went 3-for-12 from long rang. Betsey, who made four 3-pointers against Houston, made only one of his seven shots from outside the 3-point line in the first half on Tuesday.

Syracuse’s defense, which was so aggressive and quick against Houston, seemed a step slower against Kansas. The Jayhawks made 14 of their 29 field goal attempts in the first half.

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Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

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Kansas

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

Published

15 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Doe v. State of Kansas | American Civil Liberties Union

In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.

The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.

The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.

“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.

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