On Wednesday, the ACC announced that Syracuse defenseman Buddy Boheim would be suspended from Thursday’s quarterfinal game between No. 9 seed Orange and No. 1 seed Duke after Boheim. goof hit the opponent during Wednesday’s second-round win over Florida State. The ACC statement described Boheim’s actions as “egregious acts”.
The kick, which was not called a foul, caused Wyatt Wilks of the USSR to double over in pain. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, Buddy’s father, said after the game that he considered the hit “unintentional” and was not worried about a possible disqualification.
“The kid pushed him twice, he turned around and hit him,” said Jim Boheim. “I think it was unintentional, but that’s okay.”
Shortly after his father’s comments in defense of the incident, Buddy Boheim issued an apology.
“In the heat of today’s game, after some push on the lane, I waved my hand as I turned around to get back on the court,” Boheim explained. “It was wrong to act in desperation. I apologized to Wyatt Wilkes several times in line for a handshake. He told me not to worry about it, but I know it’s wrong. I am proud to respect the game and our opponent. don’t react like that again.”
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton didn’t chide Boheim for playing after his team fell to 17-14 for the season.
“There’s no better guy in the ACC than Buddy Boeheim” Hamilton said. “He’s a great guy with an amazing personality. He is a young man who is competitive like everyone else. guys to fuck and be aggressive. If something happens unintentionally, sometimes we want to categorize it one way or another.
“Sometimes I lost my temper and made some mistakes. If there’s anyone here who hasn’t, I’d like you to raise your hand. I know his family, I know his mother, I know Jim. what a child he is. We’re going to move on and let how well they played be the information we need to talk about in relation to this game.”
The younger Boheim is averaging 19.3 points per game and is on the All-ACC First Team. Duke beat Syracuse on January 22, 79–59, and on February 26, 97–72. Boheim scored just seven points on 2 of 15 shots in the first meeting but led the Oranges with 23 points in the second meeting.