Syracuse basketball fell to then-No. 18 Virginia this past Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville by 13 points, and the biggest headline seemed to be that freshman shooting guard Kiyan Anthony didn't play at all for the first time in the 2025-26 season.
Sure, the 6-foot-5 Anthony is the son of Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, who in his lone campaign on the Hill during the 2002-03 term was an All-American and led the program to its first and only national championship.
Kiyan Anthony having a famous dad who is an icon in Central New York (and not to mention a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer) brings with it added pressure and increased scrutiny, however, all the attention being devoted to Anthony not playing in one game is much ado about nothing.
Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry explains why he didn't play Kiyan Anthony at UVA.
Autry has made it perfectly clear why Anthony didn't log any minutes against the Cavaliers. He said so in his post-game press conference after the Orange's loss to Virginia, and then again on Monday during the Atlantic Coast Conference's weekly conference call with league members' head coaches.
Plain and simple, Autry says it was a coach's decision. Anthony isn't injured. He wasn't being disciplined or punished. Autry noted that UVA is a physical and experienced team, which could have factored into why Anthony didn't play. I'm not buying that, per se, as other foes out there that the 'Cuse previously battled were physical and experienced, too.
However, that Anthony didn't play in one game is no big deal. In fact, it's no deal at all. He's a college freshman. If his last name wasn't Anthony, this wouldn't be a topic of conversation. But Melo is his dad, and Syracuse basketball is struggling this season, so here we are.
Of course, Carmelo Anthony commenting, "SMFH," on the Orange's Instagram account as the 'Cuse was losing at North Carolina last week also became national news. Then, when Kiyan Anthony didn't play at UVA, Melo made a comment on ESPN's Instagram page, saying of his son, "He'll be Good! THEY SAY it's part of the Journey. A little adversity don't hurt."
Melo is right. Naturally, some Syracuse basketball fans think that Autry didn't play Anthony at Virginia because of the comment that Melo made in the setback to the Tar Heels. I think that's absurd. Whether you think Autry is a good head coach or not, he's not petty. He wouldn't do that.
Anthony, in 2025-26, is averaging 19.3 minutes, 8.9 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per affair while making 41.6 percent from the field, 23.3 percent from beyond the arc and 61.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Yet as Mike Waters of Syracuse.com noted, in ACC competition, Anthony is averaging 6.2 points per game while making just 35 percent from the field. He reached double-figures in scoring in eight of the team's first 15 games; over the past nine contests, Anthony has scored at least 10 points only twice.
Given that he's averaging around 20 minutes per encounter, it's a little curious why Anthony didn't see the floor at all against Virginia. Then again, Anthony hasn't played well of late, so his not getting run in Charlottesville isn't really a thing at all.