Syracuse, N.Y. ― The Syracuse Orange basketball team opened the regular season with an 85-47 victory against Binghamton on Monday night.
It was a fun, high-flying affair, too.
I wrote in my newsletter that Syracuse had more lobs and dunks that I could remember.
And then one reader posed the natural question. When did Syracuse have more dunks in a game than it had against Binghamton?
I had to use it in this week’s Mailbox.
A reminder: The Mailbox returns as part of our Inside Syracuse basketball newsletter. As a subscriber to the newsletter, you’ll get the Mailbox earlier. You’ll also be able to submit questions directly to me at mwaters@syracuse.com.
Q: Against Binghamton, Syracuse had the most dunks in a game since ...? - Gerry C.
Mike: Syracuse had 10 dunks in the win over Binghamton on Monday. Syracuse center William Kyle accounted for seven of them on his own.
Dunks aren’t kept as an official stat, but Syracuse director of athletic communications Pete Moore has a “Dunk Board’' feature in his game notes. So I asked if his Dunk Board records indicated when was the last time Syracuse had 10 or more dunks in a game.
It turns out that it had been quite a while.
Syracuse’s 10 dunks versus Binghamton were the most for the Orange in more than a decade.
The last time Syracuse had more than 10 dunks in a game was in the 2012-13 season. The Orange had 13 dunks in a 108-56 win over Monmouth on Dec. 8, 2012.
Here is the year-by-year list for highest single-game dunk totals from 2012 to this season:
2024-25: 7 vs. Albany
2023-24: 8 vs. Boston College
2022-23: 6 vs. Oakland; at Georgia Tech
2021-22: 7 at Miami
2020-21: 6 vs. Miami
2019-20: 5 vs. Georgia Tech
2018-19: 6 vs. Eastern Washington
2017-18: 8 vs. UConn; vs. Wake Forest (ACCT)
2016-17: 8 vs. Eastern Michigan
2015-16: 8 vs. Florida State
2014-15: 8 vs. Virginia Tech
2013-14: 7 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
2012-13: 13 vs. Monmouth
Q: Do you think Syracuse would consider playing old Big East rivals in exhibitions now that the D-I rule is changed? - Chari B.
Mike: I would hope so. I think it would be a great idea. I understand the philosophy behind SU’s two exhibitions this year. Syracuse coach Adrian Autry wanted his team to experience a road game but also wanted to send a message to the team as well. That message was the expectation of making the NCAA Tournament. So he scheduled a game in Buffalo, which is a first- and second-round site in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Note: SU is also playing a road game in November against Drexel in Philadelphia, which also happens to be an NCAA Tournament site this year.
In future years, though, I would love to see Syracuse use the exhibitions to schedule tougher contests against old Big East foes.
Q: Is former SU player Benny Williams out of eligibility? - Mark F.
Mike: Yes, Benny Williams’ college career ended last season. After three years at Syracuse, Williams transferred to Central Florida, where he averaged 3.6 points per game last season. The most recent news on Williams is that he had signed with a team in the Croatian Premier League.
