Syracuse men’s basketball dominates season opener with a win over Binghamton

The anticipated season for Syracuse men’s basketball kicked off on Monday in the JMA Wireless Dome. A team with a whole new identity showed up, and showed out.

SU dominated on both sides of the ball, taking down Binghamton 85-47. 

“I thought tonight really exemplified our summer,” head coach Adrian Autry said. “Everyone in the game gave tremendous effort.”

Syracuse started the game on a 10-0 run, and never looked back, with five separate players having double-digit point nights.

The Orange, along with spreading the love on offense, played aggressively on the defensive end, making the Bearcats cough up 22 turnovers. 

The Orange also recorded 11 steals, with five of them going to Georgia Tech transfer junior Naithan George. 

The junior guard totaled 14 points and 8 assists, showing the dome what his play brings to the table. 

“I tell [my teammates] just run hard and just be in your spots I’m going to try my best to find you,” George said. “I pride myself on passing the ball and facilitating.”

A lot of other new players in Orange and white showed out as well following the early exit to star senior guard J.J. Starling. 

“I believe this team really does have depth,” Autry said. “We went to the next man up.” 

Starling, after suffering what was labeled as a lower-body injury, returned to the bench and the injury is not expected to be serious. 

The next man up was freshman guard Kiyan Anthony, son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, who notched 15 points in his first official game. 

“Once I saw one go through, my confidence went through the roof,” Anthony said. “I just kept shooting.”

Anthony totaled over 28 minutes on the floor, the most by any Syracuse player.

The new look team had a tough task this offseason, needing to replace center Eddie Lampkin Jr., who averaged 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds last season. But tonight showed they have their answer. 

William Kyle III, a UCLA transfer, shot 8-9 from the field including a handful of lobs from his teammates. 

“He’s an exceptional defender, athlete,” Autry said. “He plays great for his size.”

All of this exceptional play surrounded returning forward Donnie Freeman, who dropped 20 points playing in his first game of action since Jan. 4, last season.

Freeman had 6 rebounds, shooting 7-11 and notched a team-high +41 plus/minus on the evening.

A large chunk of that came from the team’s second-half offense.

Syracuse scored 53 points in the final twenty minutes, and did it while connecting on 68% of its field goals. 

“Our senior leaders stepped up, our transfers stepped up,” freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. said. “Altogether we came in and played as a unit.”

Though the bright spots were hard to come by for Binghamton, center and La Salle transfer Demetrius Lilley tallied a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

“We can’t dwell on losing to Syracuse, they’re a good team,” Lilley said. “This showed us, we can’t come out and be soft.

The Orange’s havoc playing full court defense and pushing the pace will be a large part of their game going forward, outscoring the Bearcats 54-28 in the paint and 21-2 on fast break opportunities. 

The only dull spot for Syracuse through two preseason games and this first regular season game is the shooting, only making 19% of their shots from deep tonight. 

These figures aren’t phasing Autry, though. 

“The way we’re going to win is not how many threes we’re going to make,” Autry said.

This performance from the team after a disappointing last season gives the fans a bit of optimism, as Syracuse continues to get into its season before heading off to Las Vegas for three major matchups. 

Up next for 1-0 Syracuse is a home game on Saturday, facing Delaware State in the JMA Wireless Dome. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.