Syracuse men’s basketball tips off a new season against Binghamton

Following two exhibition wins, Syracuse men’s basketball begins its 2025-26 regular season at home on Monday against Binghamton. Head coach Adrian Autry starts his third season at the helm, after finishing last year with a losing record, and missing the NCAA Tournament for a fourth consecutive season.

However, SU’s offseason consisted of keeping two significant pieces from last year’s team, acquiring six transfers, and adding two highly-touted freshmen.

Forward Donnie Freeman is back after playing in just 14 games last year before sitting out the remainder of the season with a foot injury. The former top-20 recruit averaged 13.4 points and eight rebounds per game last season, and figures to be one of the biggest factors for SU this year with his length, athleticism, and two-way ability.

“Despite what other people might say or what you might hear, it was a no brainer for me coming back,” Freeman said.

Guard J.J. Starling returns for his third season in Orange. The Baldwinsville native led Syracuse in scoring last year at just under 18 points per game. While the senior had much of the ball-handling duties last year, he may see more of a role off the ball this year.

That’s because SU went into the transfer portal and picked up former Georgia Tech point guard Naithan George. The junior led the ACC in assists last season, and gets a chance to dish the ball to several talented scorers this year.

“He’s grown into not only a good player for our team but one of the better point guards in the conference, and I think that he just needs to keep evolving and he’ll be one of the better point guards in the country,” said Damon Stoudamire, George’s former coach with the Yellow Jackets.

Over two decades after Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony won a national championship at Syracuse, his son, Kiyan, starts his freshman season at SU. The guard is a top-40 recruit in his class, and although it’s unclear whether or not he'll be a regular starter, Anthony is a promising young talent with a six-foot five-inch frame that has the chance to develop into a star for Autry’s team.

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“[Kiyan] is a great kid. He’s a worker, along with our whole team. He just came in willing to learn. We got really, really close over the summer,” said Starling, giving props to one of his backcourt mates.

He’s joined alongside fellow highly-rated freshman Sadiq White. The IMG Academy product flashed some of his skills in Syracuse’s final exhibition game against Pace, scoring 14 points.

As for Binghamton, it’s a squad that was ranked fifth in the America East preseason poll. A big question for the Bearcats is where the offensive production is going to come from, after all five of the team’s top scorers from last year are elsewhere this season. However, junior Jeremiah Quigley could be one of the focal points of the offense, as a former MAAC All-Rookie team member at Iona.

With a victory, Syracuse would improve to 6-0 all-time against Binghamton. Be sure to tune into WAER for coverage Monday night. Tipoff is at 7, with a special hour-long edition of McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 6:00.