Syracuse’s depth was on display in its season opener. That could be the case again Saturday when the Orange host Delaware State in nonconference action.
The Orange had 10 players log double-digit minutes in Monday’s season-opening 85-47 win over Binghamton. Of course, Syracuse coach Adrian Autry had two key reasons for using the bulk of his roster.
First, Syracuse guard J.J. Starling — the team’s top returning scorer — left after three minutes due to a lower-body injury. Additionally, the team jumped out to a 10-0 lead and maintained a comfortable cushion through the contest, allowing Autry to show off his depth in the opening contest of a critical campaign for the third-year coach.
“It’s a good thing to have the roster that we have,” said Autry, who is just 35-31 since taking over for legendary coach Jim Boeheim.
Donnie Freeman scored 20 points, while William Kyle III chipped in 16 on 8-of-9 shooting. Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, added 15 points off the bench in his debut.
“It’s refreshing not to have that burden on your back and feel like you have to score, you have to do everything, knowing you have great teammates around you,” said Freeman, who averaged 13.4 points in 14 games during an injury-plagued freshman year in 2024-25.
Starling, who averaged 17.8 points per game last season, is listed as day-to-day. The team did not reveal much about his injury this week.
Delaware State fell at Temple 83-65 in its season opener on Wednesday.
Zion Bethea led the team with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Ponce James contributed 16 points and five assists. Ademar Santos made a strong impact off the bench with 15 points.
The Hornets are coming off a 16-14 season in 2024-25, the school’s first winning campaign since going 15-14 in 2011-12.
“When I got here, the culture wasn’t about winning,” fifth-year coach Stan Waterman said. “We had to shift everything — mindset, work ethic, discipline. Winning had to become the expectation, not just the hope.”
–Field Level Media
