Alex Burstein

College basketball is a 40-minute game, and Syracuse Men’s Basketball has learned that the hard way multiple times in the past few weeks. But Saturday night, in front of a decent-sized crowd at the JMA Wireless Dome, it really was just the first 20 minutes that sealed the deal. 17 first-half points from JJ Starling led SU to a 40-31 lead at the break that it never looked back on. Syracuse (13-9, 4-5 ACC) rode that moment to an 86-72 win over Notre Dame (11-11, 2-7 ACC), breaking a four-game skid.

The season outlook for Syracuse Men’s Basketball is bleak. Sure, there’s one big win (Tennessee) and a couple of close losses to good squads. But blemishes to Hofsta and Clemson really hurt the resume. So what does Syracuse need? A lot of convincing ACC victories in the next months. A lot of them. Tuesday night was the first big opportunity. A back-of-the-pack Georgia Tech team hosted Syracuse, and while it wasn’t easy, SU got an important double-digit win, 82-72.

There are a couple of certainties in college football in 2025. The SEC is dominant. Coaches’ contracts are going to be massive. And every December, a lot of players are going to leave your favorite program. Some hurt more than others. But news today of Syracuse Football’s newest departure set a new level of discomfort for Orange fans. Running back Yasin Willis is entering the transfer portal and, in all likelihood, will not be returning to Syracuse for the 2026 season.