Kiyan Anthony’s 2nd-Half Explosion Lifts Syracuse—Freshman Turns Benching Into Clutch Win

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — One week after an unexplained benching against No. 18 Virginia, freshman guard Kiyan Anthony erupted for 13 second-half points to steer Syracuse past SMU 79-78, erasing a 12-point deficit and reigniting chatter around the Orange’s most famous newcomer. The son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony spent the days following his Feb. 7 DNP living in the gym, deleting social-media apps and leaning on advice from his father. “I could have easily shut down, curled into a ball, but I was just ready,” the 18-year-old said after draining two clutch threes and an and-1 lay-up that gave SU its first lead with 5:40 left. Coach Adrian Autry praised Anthony’s “resilience” and high-energy practices, noting that the rookie’s shot-making and zone defense forced veteran J.J. Starling to the bench down the stretch. Saturday’s surge bumped Anthony’s season line to 8.8 points in 19.3 minutes while shooting 41.8 percent from the field, numbers that put him firmly in the ACC’s freshman-impact conversation. Yet the bigger storyline is how quickly he flipped the narrative. Carmelo, who flew to Syracuse mid-week, called the benching “part of the journey” and pushed his son to keep stacking early-morning workouts. The message landed: Anthony’s fast-break layups and confident pull-ups against SMU drew the loudest roars inside the JMA Wireless Dome since his debut. Recruiting analysts once projected the 6-5 guard as a two-to-three-year college player with pro upside, and Saturday may have been the first glimpse of that ceiling. He’ll get an even brighter spotlight Wednesday when Syracuse (15-11, 6-7 ACC) visits No. 4 Duke at Cameron Indoor. With Autry’s rotation suddenly fluid, Anthony’s response to Cameron’s pressure cooker could determine whether the Orange stay in the NCAA Tournament hunt. Key search trends indicate fans are asking: • Why was Kiyan Anthony benched? • Is he playing vs. Duke? • How does his freshman stat line compare to Carmelo’s? For now, the answers read like this: the benching was a coach’s decision; Anthony is healthy and expected to log significant minutes against Duke; and while Carmelo averaged 22.2 points during his lone SU season, Kiyan’s current trajectory suggests a different—but increasingly influential—path. If the Bronx-bred scorer strings together another electric outing in Durham, “Kiyan Anthony comeback” could replace “Kiyan Anthony benching” atop every search bar before the weekend is over.