Despite J.J. Starling injury, Syracuse blows out Binghamton in season opener
Despite J.J. Starling playing less than three minutes due to a lower leg injury, Syracuse blew out Binghamton in its season opener. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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As J.J. Starling sat at the very end of Syracuse’s bench, he had a towel draped over his head. Instead of being on the court, where he’s expected to be one of SU’s most important players this year, a lower body injury forced him to miss all but the first three minutes of the game.
But even with their star senior guard confined to the bench, the Orange (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) blew out Binghamton (0-1, 0-0 America East) 85-47 in their first game of a pivotal Year 3 of the Adrian Autry era. The 38-point victory marked Syracuse’s largest win in the JMA Wireless Dome since it defeated Bucknell 97-46 on Nov. 23, 2019.
Autry noted that Starling will be fine postgame but didn’t provide a timetable for his return. If the injury was something serious, the head coach explained that he would “probably know by now.”
When Starling missed seven games with a broken left hand last year, Syracuse faltered to a 2-5 record. When the 2025-26 Preseason All-ACC Second Team selection was held to 16 or fewer points a season ago, the Orange had a 4-10 record.
Monday night was different. Donnie Freeman — who scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting — was back to full strength after playing just 14 games as a freshman. Surrounded by a new supporting cast, Freeman and SU maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the night and never trailed.
Alongside Freeman, William Kyle III (16), Kiyan Anthony (15), Naithan George (14) and Tyler Betsey (10) also scored in double figures. Kyle scored more points in his SU debut than he did in a single game throughout his one-year tenure at UCLA.
“It’s a good thing to have the roster that we have,” Autry said postgame.
Starling suffered his injury less than three minutes into the game as he collided with a Binghamton defender before dishing an alley-oop assist to Kyle. Starling stayed in the game for the ensuing defensive possession, then went to the locker room before returning to the bench around the under-12 timeout.
He never returned to the court, finishing his night with one rebound and one assist. When the Orange barely escaped upset bids from Le Moyne, Colgate and Youngstown State to begin a historically bad 2024-25 season, Starling averaged 21.3 points.
With a rehauled roster containing six transfers and five freshmen alongside Starling and Freeman, Syracuse never had to sweat against the Bearcats. It’s an encouraging early sign for Autry, whose job could come down to whether or not the Orange make March Madness.
“Even when adversity hit, as far as J.J., him being one of the main players, it’s the next guy up mentality,” Anthony said.
SU had a slow offensive start after Starling went down, only scoring 14 points in a dozen minutes, but it finished the game 35-of-66 from the field. However, like last year, when their 3-point percentage ranked 225th in the country, the Orange struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 4-of-21.
Without Starling, freshman guard Luke Fennell said Autry didn’t make too many adjustments. Once SU increased its intensity in the second half, its offense began clicking, Fennell added. Syracuse scored 53 points in the second half, more than Binghamton had all game.
The luxury the Orange now have is that more than one guy is capable of shouldering the load. When Starling was hurt last year, Freeman led Syracuse with 14.1 points per game. The next two leading scorers during that seven-game stretch — and only others averaging double figures — were Jaquan Carlos (10.1) and Eddie Lampkin Jr. (10.0).
“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,” Freeman said.
While Starling’s teammates stepped up, Anthony and fellow freshman Sadiq White Jr. praised the senior for providing additional coaching on the bench and being a leader. Anthony elaborated that Starling is “usually not wrong,” so he “definitely listens to him.”
Despite the Orange playing well without Starling, Autry noted he’s a “big part of what we plan on doing.” For Syracuse to reach its first March Madness in five years, it’ll need Starling to play with the All-Conference talent he has.
But for now, it was an encouraging sign that — unlike last year — SU has the pieces to dominate even when Starling’s not on the court or playing his best.
