Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse’s make-or-break third season under Adrian Autry started with a bang on Monday. Despite senior guard J.J. Starling suffering a lower-body injury and missing nearly the entire game, the Orange jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back.

SU replaced Starling’s usual gaudy scoring production by spreading the rock, with five players in double digits and standout performances from transfer point guard Naithan George and freshman Kiyan Anthony. The Orange look to build off their 38-point win over Binghamton on Saturday, when they take on Delaware State.

The Hornets are in their fifth season under head coach Stan Waterman after producing their first winning season since 2011-12 last year.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (1-0, Atlantic Coast) will fare against Delaware State (0-1, Mid-Eastern Athletic) Saturday:

Aiden Stepansky (1-0)
Sorry DJax
Syracuse 80, Delaware State 47

Growing up a Philadelphia Eagles fan, DeSean Jackson was easily my favorite player. Jackson is now the head coach of Delaware State’s football team, which is 6-3 and just took down Michael Vick and Norfolk State. That’s all I really associate with the Hornets.

Once again, this is all about what Syracuse can do. Sure, it was impressive how the Orange varied their scoring to adjust to Starling’s absence. But what was far more impressive to me was the immense defensive improvements we saw in the four days between the Pace exhibition and Monday’s season opener.

Autry has been loud and clear in what he wants on defense, saying after Pace he was disappointed that his team got “punked.” He shifted his tone dramatically after the Binghamton victory, praising the intensity his squad came out with.

The Bearcats turned the ball over 15 times in the first half. SU’s 11 forced turnovers against Le Moyne last season marked its most in any first half. If Monday was any indication of what’s to come defensively, I don’t see how the Hornets reach the 50-point mark. Starling could be rested as a precaution. It won’t really matter either way.

Cooper Andrews (1-0)
“We did it, Joe”
Syracuse 83, Delaware State 54

Syracuse and University of Delaware alumnus Joe Biden could be interested in this Saturday afternoon’s ACC versus MEAC contest. Biden, I’m sure, holds some form of disdain for Delaware State, an in-state rival of the Delaware Blue Hens. And I think our 46th president would be proud of how the Orange perform against the Hornets.

Similar to Monday against Binghamton, Syracuse will trounce Delaware State and it will never be close. It’ll be tough for the Orange to replicate their absurd defensive performance, where they forced 14 turnovers within the opening 15 minutes versus the Bearcats, but I don’t see a world where SU allows more than 60 points.

It’d probably also behoove Autry and Co. to hold Staring out of this one. There’s nothing for Syracuse’s star guard — and potential leading scorer this year — to prove against Delaware State. This is the time to give Anthony, Sadiq White, Luke Fennell and the kids a chance to rack up a lot of minutes early in the season. The freshmen should have another solid showing this weekend, while Freeman will probably chip in another 20+ point performance.

I’m sure Autry would like to avoid seeing Syracuse miss its first nine 3-point attempts, like it did against Binghamton. But the Orange could cease taking 3s altogether and still destroy Delaware State.

Justin Girshon (1-0)
Keeping the NET rankings hot
Syracuse 93, Delaware State 58

As Syracuse’s lead ballooned in the waning minutes of its win versus Binghamton, the student section wanted to see one man and one man only: walk-on Noah Lobdell. “We want Noah,” chants rapidly spread, but to no avail. Autry opted to keep his five rotational guys on the floor to secure the 38-point win.

During his Media Day press conference, Autry noted that, in today’s landscape of college basketball, teams have to keep playing with a big lead. That’s because it’s a metric component of how the NCAA Tournament committee selects which teams make it out of the bubble and which ones fall short.

For Autry, in a season in which his job very well could come down to making March Madness, he knows every point counts. And much like the Orange kept their foot on the gas late against the Bearcats, I expect them to do the same against Delaware State.

The Hornets boast roughly the same talent level as Binghamton, as they’re ranked No. 350 by KenPom and No. 330 by EvanMiya. Even if Starling remains sidelined for the contest, SU showed it’s still more than well-equipped to dominate a squad like Delaware State. Give me the Orange in a blowout, another good outing for their future NET ranking.

Published on November 5, 2025 at 9:01 pm