Melvin Council Jr. converted two old-fashioned three-point plays in a second-half run as part of a 17-point effort, Elmarko Jackson went for 17 of his own and Kansas captured third place in the Players Era men’s championship with an 81-76 victory over previously undefeated Tennessee on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
In a matchup of teams that went 2-0 in the 18-team event’s round-robin play, yet were relegated to the third-place game via a tie-breaker, the Jayhawks (6-2) outscored the Volunteers (7-1) 40-23 over the final 15:28 to earn the tournament’s $300,000 prize in NIL contributions.
Tennessee took home $200,000 in NIL money for its fourth-place finish.
The Volunteers led 41-34 at the half and extended the margin to 12 at 53-41 on a 3-pointer by Bishop Boswell at the 15:49 mark before Kansas dominated the rest of the game.
Flory Bidunga got the late flurry started with a dunk, Jackson and Jamari McDowell added 3-pointers, but it was the pair of and-1’s by Council that did the most damage to Tennessee’s lead.
His first three-point play came on a layup, assisted by Bidunga, that closed the gap to 62-59 with 8:07 remaining.
He then accomplished the feat again 42 seconds later, this time with a jumper. The subsequent free throw tied the game at 62-all with 7:25 left.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie stole back a solo lead for the Volunteers with a jumper, but Council, Paul Mbiya and Jackson dropped in consecutive layups to push the Jayhawks into a 68-64 lead with 5:08 remaining. Kansas never trailed again.
In all, Jackson contributed 15 points and Council 11 to the game-ending spurt.
Tre White chipped in with 14 points and Bidunga finished with 13 for Kansas, which had beaten Notre Dame and Syracuse earlier in the three-day tournament. Council also found time for a team-high four assists, while Bryson Tiller contributed a team-high eight rebounds and six points to the cause.
Nate Ament was the game’s leading scorer with 20 for Tennessee, which earned its spots in the third-place game by beating Rutgers and third-ranked Houston.
Jaylen Carey had a game-high 10 rebounds as part of a double-double with 11 points for the Volunteers, while Gillespie also totaled 11 points and J.P. Estrella 10.
