NEW YORK - Syracuse star Buddy Boehm was suspended for Orange's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament game against Duke after he punched a Florida State player in the stomach during Wednesday's second-round victory.
The ACC announced a one-game suspension for a "major act" nearly four hours after ninth-seeded Syracuse defeated eighth-seeded Florida State 96-57 on Thursday at Barclays Center to enter the quarterfinals.
Sr., the son of Orange coach Jim Boehm, previously issued a statement admitting he was wrong.
"In the heat of today's game, after a few pushes in the street, I waved my hand to go back on the court. It was wrong to act out of desperation," Boehm said in a statement posted to Syracuse Basketball's Twitter account. " "I apologized to Wyatt Wilkes several times in the handshake line. He said don't worry about it, but I know it was wrong."
If Orange (16-16) loses to Duke, Boehm would have played his last college game. He has indicated several times this season that he did not intend to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility that the NCAA gave athletes to compete during the pandemic-changed 2020-21 season.
Syracuse is not in contention for a major bid for the NCAA Tournament and the NIT is also unlikely if Orange falls below .500 with a loss to Duke.
Boehm was not called for a foul in the play, which occurred after Syracuse scored a basket.
"I saw the play, the kid pushed him twice," said Jim Boehm. "I think it was unintentional. It wasn't a punch."
Jim Boehm, when asked about this, dismissed the idea of possibly suspending his son. He added that a major 1 foul could have been called on Buddy Boehm if officials had heeded the play. The coach admitted that Buddy Boehm had retaliated for pushing.
Buddy Boehm leads the ACC with 19.3 points per game.
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton put the situation aside, praising young Boehm's character during his postgame news conference.
"I don't want him to play well, no matter what kind of young man he is," Hamilton said. "Sport is physical. We expect people to go out and bang and be aggressive. If something happens unintentionally, sometimes we want to categorize it one way or another."
"I sometimes lose my temper. I've made some mistakes."
After nearly being hit in the middle of the first half, Wilkes doubled over and squatted for a moment. He continued to play.
After the game the two players were seen talking to each other, with Boehm leaving with a smile.
"I am proud to have respected the sport and my opponent," Boehm said. "I won't respond to that again."
The situation is reminiscent of another infamous moment in ACC history, which involved a high-profile player.
In 2005, Chris Paul of Wake Forest hit North Carolina State's Julius Hodge under his belt during the team's regular season finale. No fouls were reported, but Paul was suspended after Wake Forest consulted with the ACC for his first conference tournament game.
Playing for his Hall of Fame coach father, Boehm has become one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in the country. For his career, Boehm averaged 14.6 points per game and made 306 3s.
Boeheim helped Orange reach the NCAA Sweet 16 last year with some sharp shooting to back up its "Buddy Buckets" moniker. This year he was named to the first-team All-ACC.
Syracuse lost both meetings this season against No. 7 Duke, first by 20 points on the road and then by 25 points at home.