To say this season has been a struggle for Syracuse men’s basketball is an understatement. The Orange are 8-8 and 2-3 in the ACC. In a season with many lows, the lowest point was the day JJ Starling broke his left hand. After missing seven games, he’s back and hoping to lead a turnaround for the Orange.

“God gave me this talent, so I’m going to use these talents to help my team win games," said Starling after Syracuse's 62-55 win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday.

On Dec. 2, Syracuse men’s basketball suffered a blow when Starling broke his left hand in practice. In seven games without their star guard, the Orange went 2-5.

“It was very hard," Starling said. "Mentally basketball is such a big part of my life. Obviously, I looked to my family, I look to God. I prayed about it. I just did what I could when I was off the court, getting mental reps watching film so I can stay ready and mentally locked in.”

Starling returned last week against Florida State and led the Orange to back-to-back conference wins against Georgia Tech and Boston College. He says the results on the court this season don’t reflect how hard they practice.

“We go at each other day in and day out, we really push each other," he said. "Like I said, sometimes we don’t get the results, but that’s life. We’re going to keep working hard, going to keep pushing each other, and we’re going to grow as individuals on and off the court.”

Starling and his team-high 19 points per game hope to give the Orange the boost they need. Syracuse sits near the bottom of the ACC standings and have a lot of work to do to turn this season around.

"JJ's big time," said Adrian Autry. "He's one of the best guards in this league and one of the best guards in college basketball. I think if you followed us through the stretch without and having him back now I think you can see the difference and how important he is."

“At the end of the day, it’s just us," said Starling. We’re the ones out on the court. We’re the ones putting in the work every day. So we got to do what’s best for us.”

Adrian Autry talks about the Orange standard often. To Starling, it means this team needs to turn up the intensity.  

“Tough, just being tough," he said. "At the end of the day coaches want guys that play hard and I feel like we’re really putting it together right now. We’re playing hard. We’re playing for each other. And that’s what it’s all about.”