Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

LAS VEGAS — At first, J.J. Starling kept his eyes down while rubbing his forehead with his left hand. He lifted his eyes and stared into the open a few minutes later.

Soon after, he dropped his head. He then sporadically closed his eyes for seconds at a time.

“We just dropped another tough one,” Starling said of what was going through his head. “Just having the move on mentality and just learn from this.”

In Syracuse’s (4-2, Atlantic Coast) 71-60 loss to Kansas (5-2, Big 12) in the Players Era Festival Tuesday, Starling scored 10 points while shooting 3-of-13 from the field. In Donnie Freeman’s absence, the Orange needed someone to carry the scoring load to avoid a second straight loss following a golden opportunity that slipped away versus No. 3 Houston on Monday.

Nobody did.

It’s not merely Starling’s fault. After all, as Kansas head coach Bill Self said postgame, he drained a pair of key 3-pointers. Meanwhile, his 10 points were SU’s second most, more of a testament to the Orange’s 31.7% field goal percentage than Starling’s performance.

But when Syracuse needs someone to step up — especially one without Freeman, its leading scorer — Starling is supposed to be that guy.

J.J. Starling drives toward the hoop against Kansas guard Tre White. Against the Jayhawks, Starling was held to 11 or fewer points for the third straight game since returning from injury. Courtesy of SU Athletics

Following SU’s season-opener, where the shooting guard played three minutes because of an injury, Autry lauded Starling as an “all-conference” type player and “a big part of what we plan on doing.”

He deserved the praise. Fresh off averaging 17.8 points as a junior, Starling was named a Preseason Second-Team ACC selection.

Starling was everything for the Orange last year, when they posted their worst record since 1968-69. But without him, who knows how far they would’ve fallen?

Across seven games Starling missed with a left hand injury and the 14 games he was held to 16 or fewer points, Syracuse posted a 6-15 record.

This season, it’s been a different story. The Orange won their first three games, with Starling playing just the opening three minutes before being sidelined, in blowout fashion. When the senior returned versus Monmouth, SU won despite him scoring just 11 points across 26 minutes.

That was the only full game Starling and Freeman played together this season after appearing in just seven together last year. Freeman sustained a season-ending right toe injury after 14 games, which came just after Starling returned from his injury.

To compete with the likes of Houston and Kansas, Syracuse rebuilt its team around Starling and Freeman. The vision was that with a replenished supporting cast around them — including transfers Naithan George, Nate Kingz, William Kyle III and freshmen Sadiq White Jr. and Kiyan Anthony — the Orange could compete with anyone.

But with Freeman ruled out for the Players Era Festival, Syracuse didn’t have the chance to showcase that versus Houston, which made the national championship last year. Still, that vision was widely apparent as the Orange went toe-to-toe with the Cougars, taking the game to overtime.

Nonetheless, SU’s Quad 1 struggles — after not winning a said game last season — persisted with a crushing loss. With Autry’s job potentially on the line, it made the matchup with Kansas almost have the feel of a must-win, albeit coming in November and Freeman being sidelined.

Do you think today is a must-win for Syracuse vs. Kansas? @DOsports

— Justin Girshon (@JustinGirshon) November 25, 2025

Facing the Jayhawks is when you often need your best scorer to step up. Entering Tuesday, Kansas had a top-10 defense in the country, per EvanMiya and KenPom.

And in a game where the Orange needed someone to rise to the occasion, it took Starling over 19 minutes to make his first field goal, a corner 3 that cut their deficit to 34-25 with 37 seconds remaining in the first half. Despite a make entering halftime, it took Starling another 12-plus minutes before hitting a field goal in the second half.

It was a crucial 3-pointer, which pulled the Orange within five, but it didn’t get Starling going. Starling attempted a mid-range jumper three possessions later with an opportunity to cut Kansas’ lead to two, but he missed. The Jayhawks scored nine straight points after that miss, all but sealing their 11-point win.

Starling’s 13 field goal attempts were a season-high, but still off from the 16.0 he averaged last season. Despite him making only three of those shots — with the third coming in the final minute — Self didn’t feel his team did as good a job guarding Starling as it did against George, Kingz and Anthony.

That trio was a combined 6-of-25 from the floor, totaling 20 points. They did the Orange no favors, as Tyler Betsey was their leading scorer for the second straight game. The Cincinnati transfer notched just 12 points while shooting 4-of-13.

“It’s about our effort, trying not to focus — we don’t want to focus on makes and misses, we want to focus on our effort,” Autry said postgame when asked about his message to get his team back on track offensively.

The Orange are still awaiting when and who they’ll face in their third game of the Players Era, but it’ll be another quick turnaround, whether that’s on Wednesday or Thursday. To mentally prepare himself, Starling said he’s going to flush this one out, focus on what he and his team need to improve and move forward.

Whenever that time comes, Syracuse’s odds of winning will drastically increase if J.J. Starling is the J.J. Starling who can will it to victory.

Published on November 25, 2025 at 8:57 pm
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon