Overview
- Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan each scored 26 points and combined for all 11 of Houston's points in overtime.
- Syracuse shot 12-for-29 at the free-throw line, undercutting an 11-0 closing run that forced overtime.
- Tyler Betsey led Syracuse with 16 points as the Orange bench outscored Houston's reserves 26-7.
- Leading scorer Donnie Freeman is out for the entire festival with a lower-leg injury, and Syracuse now meets Kansas in Las Vegas.
- The Players Era Festival guarantees $1 million per school and offers neutral-court résumé games after soft early schedules, including Syracuse’s KenPom No. 361 nonconference slate.