The Syracuse Orange take on the Kansas Jayhawks in Las Vegas, NV, in the Players Era Festival. Tip-off is set for approximately 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Kansas is favored by -4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -225. The total is set at 147.5 points.
Here’s my Syracuse vs. Kansas prediction and college basketball picks for November 25, 2025.
Syracuse vs Kansas Prediction
My Pick: Kansas -5.5 or Better
My Syracuse vs Kansas best bet is on the Jayhawks to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Syracuse vs. Kansas Odds
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | -225 |
| Kansas Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 147.5 -110o / -110u | +185 |
- Syracuse vs Kansas spread: Kansas -4.5
- Syracuse vs Kansas over/under: 147.5 points
- Syracuse vs Kansas moneyline: Syracuse +185, Kansas -225
Syracuse vs Kansas College Basketball Betting Preview
Syracuse Basketball
Until reaching the Players Era Festival, Syracuse has been auditing this season as a pass/fail class. The Orange played four teams outside of KenPom's top 200, winning three of those games easily before getting a bit of a test from Monmouth.
That status changes this week in Las Vegas, starting with Monday's meeting with highly-ranked Houston. We're going to learn a lot about Syracuse this week.
That's great news, because so far there has not been much to glean from the Orange's season. Prior to the Player's Era Festival, Syracuse allowed the fewest points per game of any team in the nation.
Is that indicative of Syracuse's defensive ability? Maybe.
The Orange are blocking shots at an incredibly high level, led by UCLA transfer William Kyle III, and forcing turnovers at a top-10 rate nationally. They also lead the nation in effective field goal percentage allowed, which sounds great, but the numbers may be deceiving.
Syracuse opponents shot just 23% from long range in four games, the lowest of any team's opponents in Division I. 2-point shooting is generally a more sticky statistic — it's less susceptible to wild regression — and Syracuse has held opponents under 35% inside the arc as well.
I would wager the Orange defense takes a step back when the level of competition steps up. Syracuse's offense would need to elevate to make up for that difference, something I'm not sure the Orange can rely upon.
They've played old school ball, doing a high percentage of their scoring on the block and in the paint. Again, when the opponents get bigger, more athletic and sharper, that should be a more uphill battle.
Kansas Basketball
It's been a weird season so far for Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
Star freshman Darryn Peterson was supposed to be not just Kansas' best player but also the key offensive catalyst and creator for the Jayhawks. So far, he's played just two of the six games on Kansas' schedule as he fights a hamstring injury.
When Peterson has been on the floor, he's been stellar, scoring 21.5 points per game, making half of his 3s and finding teammates for open looks. Without him, the Jayhawks have had a harder time scoring.
In the three games Peterson's been sidelined, Kansas is shooting just 26% from long range, in large part due to the lack of attention being paid to creators with the ball attacking in the paint.
Without Peterson, the entire roster looks different.
Big man Flory Bidunga is a perfect pick-and-roll partner for Peterson, but he has less to do without him. Elmarko Jackson and Melvin Council Jr. are great secondary scorers or creators, though it's asking a lot for them to spark an offense as the primary ball-handlers.
Peterson won't play in Las Vegas this week, returning sometime soon after the Players Era Festival.
Thankfully, Self is still an elite coach and has a team capable of playing high-level defense. This week makes for an interesting test for Kansas, though nothing really matters unless Peterson is on the floor.
Syracuse vs. Kansas Betting Analysis
I'm generally going to stay away from betting either way on Kansas until Peterson is back in the lineup, but I'd consider making an exception here against a mostly untested Syracuse team.
Those defensive shooting numbers are bound to regress and it might happen in a big way.
And after a 10-point win against Notre Dame, Kansas is in solid position to take out the Orange on Tuesday.
A hot Kansas shooting night would propel the Jayhawks to a win and cover here, and I'm counting on that.
My Pick: Kansas -5.5 or Better
