JJ Starling of old returns in clutch for Syracuse basketball versus Tennessee

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball guard JJ Starling was back to his former self in crunch time on Tuesday night. In a heated showdown with the 13th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, Starling connected on two clutch jumpshots in the closing minutes, helping secure Syracuse’s first win over a ranked opponent in nearly two years.

Starling finished with a routine 12 points on the night to go with four rebounds, two assists and three steals. The point total wasn’t striking, but in a tightly-contested defensive battle they all seemed to matter — particularly when the pressure was on.

Trailing by one with three minutes left, Syracuse went ball-screen with Starling and William Kyle. Tennessee’s Felix Okpara showed hedge onto Starling, who took a long dribble and dragged Okpara with him. As Okpara began to recover to Kyle, that gave Starling the space to pull up from three. He buried it to give Syracuse a 58-56 lead. The Orange wouldn’t trail the rest of the way.

On the ensuing possession, Starling got Ja’Kobi Gillespie switched onto him. He promptly dribbled into a mid-range jumpshot that found the bottom of the net. Syracuse led by four with 2:05 to play.

“I feel like I was just in a flow,” Starling said of those jumpshots. “I wasn’t really thinking. At the end of the day I just wanted to finish that game. I just wanted that game so bad. It was good to come up big down the stretch but that was just all because of my teammates and my coaches.”

The last time Syracuse defeated a ranked opponent in the JMA Wireless Dome, Starling had 23 points en route to an upset bid over No. 7 North Carolina. It was reminiscent of that one February night where he and Judah Mintz starred while taking down a top 25 team. Starling’s mid-range shot over Gillespie mirrored those mid-range shots over former Tar Heel RJ Davis. Those two games have been the loudest the JMA Wireless Dome has been in the Adrian Autry era.

“I think it really speaks to his leadership and obviously the player he is,” Autry said. “He’s a dynamic guy that can score the ball. At the end we put the ball in his hands and he made the plays.”

Starling is the senior leader and captain of this Orange team. A local kid having grown up in Baldwinsville, he returned for a final year at Syracuse with the pressure on to win. Syracuse assembled a roster around Starling and the beleaguered Donnie Freeman.

A season ago Starling led Syracuse in scoring with 17.8 points per game. Questions surfaced about his defense then. On Tuesday night, his head coach was pleased with his effort and proud of his development on that end of the floor. The Syracuse staff has challenged him defensively. Starling was matched up on projected NBA lottery pick Nate Ament, who has held in check on 2-10 shooting.

“I thought he brought tremendous leadership,” Autry said of Starling. “He was excellent on both ends of the floor. He was guarding a 6-10 guy, he really gave him problems. You know, offensively he made plays. And then he made big shots when we needed it. That’s what he can do.”

Starling has faced numerous setbacks over the course of his college career in the form of injuries. He suffered a torn left meniscus and two shoulder sprains — which altered his shooting form — in his freshman season at Notre Dame. He suffered a broken wrist last season which caused him to miss seven games. This season Starling has struggled to get going offensively. He managed a broken finger in the summer and a hamstring injury just minutes into the season-opener that kept him out three games. Through all of it, he’s never made excuses or cast blame.

Starling found a bit of rhythm late game, revealing shades of his old self. When the Orange needed him most in a desperate situation, he delivered.

“JJ’s the guy,” Kiyan Anthony said. “He’s been here for three years, he’s seen it all. He’s seen the ups and the downs. Make or miss we believe in him to take that shot every time.”