A 14-point second half deficit led to @Cuse_MBB's third consecutive conference loss.@GiffMD and @RyanRandone were on the call for SU's disintegration down the stretch. pic.twitter.com/G9NXxiuOZP
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) January 5, 2025
Syracuse men’s basketball (6-8, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) got a big boost to its lineup in the return of junior guard JJ Starling before Saturday’s matchup against Florida State (10-4, 1-2 ACC). Still, it wasn’t enough to get SU its first conference win.
After a seven-game hiatus with a broken hand, Starling returned to the lineup in hopes of fixing the Orange’s offensive struggles. The junior logged 32 minutes and scored 12 points, connecting on five of his 17 shot attempts.
“Having JJ back, that was probably the best news we had,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame. “And, again, not playing for a couple of weeks, I thought he gave us an injection, energy, getting to the basket, creating for others. And so, we just got to keep building on that.”
Welcome back JJ! 🎯
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) January 4, 2025
📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/2mwt9hxWFa
Despite Starling’s attempt to kickstart Syracuse’s offense, season-long issues continued to be the Orange’s kryptonite. SU trailed Florida State by just two points at the halftime break but were outscored 54-40 in the second half and 16-8 in the final five minutes. That stretch saw the ‘Cuse go nearly four minutes without a field goal.
“I thought our first half was one of the better ones this year,” Autry said. “In the second half, we didn’t show up… just too many turnovers.”
Turnovers continue to be a problem that has haunted SU so far this season. Saturday’s loss to the Seminoles saw the Orange turn it over 15 times, which is the third-highest total this season. Through 14 games so far in 2024-25, the ‘Cuse has had double-digit giveaways in 12 of them.
“I think we just have a lot of mental mistakes down the stretch that really kill us, and it just keeps compounding, and then teams are just capitalizing off that,” guard JJ Starling said postgame.
The loss to Florida State marks eight straight losses from Syracuse to top 100 teams in the KenPom rankings. Not only that, but the loss also signifies eight consecutive losses to power conference opponents.
Now, sitting at 6-8 on the young season, Syracuse with the return of Starling must figure out its inconsistencies in order to have any chance of playing postseason basketball in March. SU’s next contest is at home against Georgia Tech on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. with WAER’s coverage beginning at 6:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.