What Autry, Anthony and Kyle said following Syracuse's 83-43 win over Delaware State

Syracuse rolled to its second win of the season after beating Delaware State 83-43. Here are three takeaways.

Kiyan Anthony shines in his first collegiate start

It started with a call on Saturday morning.

Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry rang freshman guard Kiyan Anthony and said two simple words: “You’re starting.”

Anthony did not miss his opportunity to shine. He scored 19 points, showing an adept touch as a three-level scorer.

Coming out of Long Island (NY) Lutheran, many noted his 3-point shooting ability as his main way of scoring. But in today's game, his craftiness at the rim really stood out in being to finish at the rim.

“Just learning to use my body. Being physical, getting the defender off balance, and just finishing through contact.” Anthony said, “That is something I work on with people in practice.”

While his scoring ability is what stands out on paper, his phenomenal playmaking abilities should be noted as he dished out four assists and zero turnovers. Antony will continue to be the starter until senior guard JJ Starling recovers from injury.

Defense leads the way

Only a year after eking out victories over teams like Youngstown State in overtime, this Syracuse team has handled business against lesser foes.

Autry emphasized defense as an area he wanted to improve this season, and that persistence has paid off. The Syracuse defense held Delaware State to just 43 points. That tally is the least they have let up since 2018, and was aided by SU holding its opponent to 21 percent shooting from the field.

One of the most prominent defensive performers was William Kyle III. He led the team with six blocks and 13 rebounds. With his stellar performance, Kyle still knows that The Orange needs to play this way every game.

“You can never be satisfied. We need to do more still. That’s the orange standard.” Kyle said, “We are going to come into practice, and we are going to watch film tomorrow, we are going to see what we can do better.”

Rotation is key to Autry

In recent Syracuse seasons, Syracuse has played with a thin rotatin, often only playing seven or eight players. That forced many of the starters to play 30 minutes or more per game.

But this year, Autry wants that to be different.

“Nine guys, that is how we’re going to play this year. Autry said. “That’s how this team is going to be successful.”

This philosophy was on display in the game today. Nine players played more than 10 minutes in today's game. The bench contributed 22 points in addition to good defense. While the rotation today will be hammered out more clearly later in the season, it will be interesting to see how Autry manages a deeper bench this year.

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