PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team found itself down two players on Saturday against Drexel. The Orange cruised to a 30-point win after locking down defensively in the second half.
JJ Starling, a four-year veteran and starter, has missed the last two games. He went down just three minutes into the season-opener with a right leg injury and did not play against Drexel despite being a game-time decision. Starling did not warm up with the team. The Orange then lost Tyler Betsey after the 6-foot-8 sophomore played just six minutes before going down with an ankle injury.
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Betsey, after taking a forearm shove to the ribs, went down and remained on the court for extended time. He was greeted by team trainers before limping back to the Syracuse locker room. He later returned to the bench but did not return to game action. Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry didn’t express concern.
“I think it’s an ankle,” Autry said. “So I think he might’ve twisted it or rolled it. I’ll find out more when we get back in the next day or two. But it doesn’t seem like it was that serious.”
Betsey finished with five points on 2-2 shooting.
Starling, sidelined wearing a Syracuse sweatsuit, did not participate in warmups but was with the team in Philadelphia. He walked around the arena without signs of pain. Starling is edging closer to a return.
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“I think he’s really close,” Autry said. “I expect him back pretty soon.”
The Orange return home to take on Monmouth this Tuesday from the JMA Wireless Dome. That will be the team’s last tuneup before heading out to Las Vegas for the Player’s Era Festival. The Orange face a gauntlet with No. 1 Houston off the bat followed by a game with No. 25 Kansas on deck. The Orange will have a date with a third opponent (matchup depending on tournament results) in what’s expected to be the top Thanksgiving tournament in the country. Syracuse could use Starling for the challenge that awaits.
“He’s our captain. He’s our leader,” Autry said. “For this team to be whole — for this program to be where we think we can be — he’s a big part of it. And we need him.”
