The Syracuse University men's basketball team hits the road on Saturday afternoon for a neutral-site contest with Drexel. The game will be played in Philadelphia at 3:30 p.m. ET as part of the 'Autumn Invitational,' which also features La Salle and Penn State.

The Orange are 2-0 on the young season and are coming off a blowout victory (83-43) against Delaware State at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.

Heading into this matchup, there are two big questions for head coach Adrian Autry's team.

After averaging 17.8 ppg last season and serving as the team's leading scorer, Starling missed last Saturday's contest with a right leg injury that he sustained in the season-opener against Binghamton.

He's played less than three minutes this season, and though the Orange have two blowout victories under their belt, they are clearly better with him. With the schedule starting to ramp up, his availability will become a bigger story.

Autry joined 'Cuse Sports Talk on Thursday and said that Starling is still day-to-day and they expect him back "soon." He did say that there's a chance that he could play against Drexel, but we had the same impression last weekend only to see him sit. At this point, it's anyone's guess.

Starling's availability also has a ripple effect on the rest of the roster. If he can't go, super-freshman Kiyan Anthony figures to start again. The son of Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan had 19 points in Saturday's win on 8-of-11 shooting. 

If Starling is available, then will Autry send Anthony back to a bench role? Or is the genie out of the bottle? That's a decision that Syracuse fans are waiting for Autry to make.

Again, this is listed as a neutral-site game, but it's the first game away from the JMA Wireless Dome this season, and it's one of the only non-home contests in the first half of the year for the Orange.

As a result, we'll be looking to see how this team plays away from home. While being on the road won't be a big deal for the rest of the calendar year 2025, it will be important as the team gets into ACC play after the new year.

Poise, shooting ability, and rhythm will all be things to watch.

Drexel is 1-2 thus far, and they are coming off a seven-point loss to Colgate on Tuesday night.

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