Buddy Boeheim has likely played his final game for Syracuse basketball.
The 6-6 senior guard, a first team All ACC player and the son of Cuse Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, was suspended for one game by the ACC after throwing a punch at a Florida State player that landed in the stomach during the first half of the Orange’s 96- 57 second round victory in the conference tournament in Brooklyn.
Boeheim will miss the Cuse’s quarterfinal game against Duke because of his flagrant act.
What was his thinking?
The sad fact is he wasn’t.
Once he had time to reflect Boeheim offered a statement acknowledging he was wrong. “In the heart of today’s game, after some shoving in the land, I swung my arm while turning to go back up court. It was wrong to act out of frustration,” he said in a statement. “I apologized to Wyatt Wilkes multiple times in the handshake line. He said not to worry about it, but I know i was wrong.”
If the Orange (16-16) lose to the Devils, their season likely will be over. He had indicated several times this season he does not intend to take advantage of his Covid year of eligibility,
Syracuse is not in contention for an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Orange has lost twice to Duke during the regular season, once by 20 points, the second time by 25 so the possibility of advancing to the semi-finals is limited.
Boeheim, interestingly, was not called for a foul on the play, which happened after Syracuse made a basket.
‘I saw the play. the kid pushed him,” Jim Boeheim said. “I think it was inadvertent. It wasn’t much of a punch.”
Jim Boeheim dismissed the idea his son possibly being suspended, suggesting if the officials had noticed the play a flagrant foul might have been called. The coach did concede Boeheim had retaliated for being pushed.
Buddy Boeheim leads the ACC in scoring at 19.3 points per game.
Wilkes doubled over and squatted for a moment after being stuck. He continued to play. The two players were seen talking afterwards with Boeheim walking away smiling.
