Junior guard J.J. Starling, who had been the leading scorer for Syracuse basketball in the 2024-25 season before missing the past seven games due to a left-hand injury, was back in the starting line-up on Saturday night at Florida State.
That was the good news.
The bad news is that even with Starling out on the court, the Orange still couldn't grab a win over the Seminoles (10-4, 1-2 in the ACC) on the road. The 'Cuse kept this Atlantic Coast Conference clash close for much of the evening, until FSU dropped a hammer on Syracuse basketball down the stretch.
Guard J.J. Starling is back. Syracuse basketball's starting line-up at Florida State: Point guard Jaquan Carlos, Starling, wing Lucas Taylor, power forward Donnie Freeman and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. 🧡
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) January 4, 2025
The outcome was a 90-74 setback for the Orange (6-8 overall, 0-3 in the ACC), which in 2024-25 hasn't beaten a power conference squad, won a conference affair or picked up a road victory. Up next for the 'Cuse, it will host Georgia Tech on Tuesday, Jan. 7, beginning at 7 pm and with television coverage on the ACC Network.
Final from Tallahassee pic.twitter.com/YSZUS4Nqbg
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) January 5, 2025
Syracuse basketball is in a bad spot these days.
The Orange has now lost six of its last eight encounters, and its all-time edge over the Seminoles stands at 10-8. In 2024-25, the 'Cuse has not proven a stellar 3-point shooting squad, although versus FSU, Syracuse basketball was 10-of-25, good for a solid 40 percent.
Several key facets contributed to the Orange's setback to Florida State. For one, the Seminoles were plus-11 points from the free-throw line. The 'Cuse committed 14 turnovers, and FSU converted those miscues into 16 points.
Florida State also led 40-26 in paint points and 13-0 in fast-break points. Syracuse basketball held its own on the glass, and the Orange led 30-21 in bench points.
Speaking of bench points, junior small forward Chris Bell didn't start on Saturday night, but he did have strong scoring production. In 22 minutes, Bell tallied a team-high 18 points, and he was 4-of-4 from 3-point land.
Freshman power forward Donnie Freeman collected a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Starling, in his return, didn't shoot well from the field, but he did finish with 12 points and three assists.
Senior guard/wing Lucas Taylor, who was in the starting line-up, contributed 10 points, as did redshirt junior guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. Freshman forward Petar Majstorovic, in 13 minutes, chipped in two points, seven rebounds and one assist.
Needless to say, Syracuse basketball is mightily struggling, and the fan base, understandably, is frustrated. I was delighted to see Starling back on the floor, and I candidly didn't think the Orange would beat FSU on the road just because he returned.
Simply put, I love my alma mater, but Syracuse basketball is not a good team, and the program remains searching for its identity in the 2024-25 campaign.