Collegiate basketball is one of a kind, the fact that so early into the season, a number of the nation’s biggest programs will take the court against one another so early in the season at a number of different exotic places is what makes the sport so special.
This season, the Jayhawks took the trip out west to take on the Players Era Championship. The Championship is still in its infancy, as this is only the second season of its existence. After a 3-2 start, which saw the Jayhawks fall to No. 16 UNC Tar Heels 87-74 and the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils 78-66, Bill Self’s team fell out of the AP top 25, a rare occurrence for a team of this stature.
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The Jayhawks needed a reset, and that is what they got. Kansas went 3-0 and took down Notre Dame 71-61, then Syracuse 71-60, before being placed in the third-place game against the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers. Despite having to come back from as much as 12 points, Self’s squad prevailed, and the Jayhawks took off back home after an 81-76 win ensured that Kansas was getting things back on track.
Ahead of Kansas’ latest matchup against the No. 5 UConn Huskies, Kansas freshman Bryson Tiller spoke about just how difficult it was to play three games over the course of three days.
“Yeah, to be honest, it's a lot. It's more mental than physical. To be honest,” quoted the former Overtime Elite star.
The forward was ranked as the nation’s 42nd-best player, the fourth-best player from the state of Georgia, and the ninth overall power forward in the class of 2025.
“I feel like you tell yourself you're tired, you're gonna be tired. So, you know, just get as much recovery as you can and get a lot of fluids, and prepare for the next game.”
So far in his freshman season, Tiller has notched a career-high 17 points in the opening game of the Championship. Tiller has already reached double-digits four times, all while adding a strong 6.4 rebounds, all wrapped up in a 46.6% field goal rate.