CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Buddy Boeheim up-faked on a 3-pointer and fooled his defender. As Buddy’s defender rose into the air, Syracuse’s best 3-point shooter gathered himself with a dribble before drilling his shot from beyond the arc. 

After the second consecutive Buddy basket out of the half, BC called timeout. Elijah Hughes looked at Buddy and twirled his fingers in a circle with a head nod as if to say “Again…again.” 

“It was time to just get going,” Hughes said. “He’s seen a couple shots go in and we just kept firing them and they kept going in.”

Buddy did, scoring 21 points while Hughes finished with a game-high 28. The Orange’s best players were better than any defensive scheme Boston College trotted out on Tuesday and it led to an 84-71 Syracuse victory on Tuesday night at Conte Forum. The Orange (17-13, 10-9 Atlantic Coast) didn’t pass often on Tuesday — finishing with nine assists — but they didn’t need to. In Syracuse’s second to last regular-season game, isolation plays sliced up BC’s defense as the Orange avoided a losing season for the 51st straight year. 

“Elijah was really good tonight he got into some space, he was hard to guard tonight,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “Buddy got going in the first half so the combination of those two guys got us some separation.”

Syracuse’s weekday game against a middling ACC opponent, if anything, only impacted Syracuse’s position in the ACC tournament. Syracuse entered this game after a loss to North Carolina, another dropped opportunity in a season full of so many. With a series of bad losses in the Carrier Dome and no marquee win to point back to, the Orange will likely need a run to the ACC tournament championship for any chance at an NCAA Tournament berth. 

The Orange didn’t start well. Twelve turnovers between the two teams littered the first 10 minutes of the game. As the ball bounced around the court, with no dominating presence possessing it, Syracuse clanked shots from far out and close near the rim. On one sequence, a failed alley-oop between Howard Washington and Quincy Guerrier turned into a Boston College three-pointer down the other end.

For much of the first half, the ACC’s top scorer kept Syracuse alive. Hughes’ first basket came from an alley-oop in which the 6-foot-6 forward flew from the baseline to the rim. Then he performed his usual scoring routine. The redshirt junior hit turnaround jump shots, open 3-pointers and drew fouls. Hughes believes when he’s hitting his 3-point shot, teams can’t guard him. So when his first pull-up jump shot from beyond the arc hit, he locked in.

Boston College tried to switch on screens. Even the second defender, the one who’s meant to help, couldn’t impede Hughes. Through body contact, Hughes stopped and pulled up to hit a jump shot. 

“I was just out there hooping,” Hughes said. “I wasn’t really thinking about it too much. When I got in a rhythm, I kind of felt like no one out here can defend me.”

In the second half, Buddy couldn’t be guarded either. He dribbled inside, hopped on both legs for space and then sank jump shots. He hit transitions 3’s and scored on an inbound pass in the corner. 

After scoring 22 points in the first game against Boston College, Buddy knew he had a favorable matchup against the Eagles. With smaller defenders on him, he dribbled into the lane and simply shot over them. With a release point several inches above the defenders, even sound defense couldn’t prevent a made basket. 

“Last year I wasn’t really able to get in the paint,” Buddy said. “ I wasn’t strong enough, good athlete. I think now I’m using my body, being smart, taking my time, you know just really using my height advantage to shoot over guys.” 

At times, Syracuse turned the game into an offensive showcase. Hughes often dribbled past his defenders, and in ways only Hughes can do for Syracuse, and made it look effortless. Midway through the second half, he faked a drive to the basket. As his defender failed to stop quickly and stumbled, Hughes stepped back and drilled a jump shot. All Buddy could do was smile. 

“It’s just so fun playing with a guy like that, there’s some moments like that you just got to smile and have fun…this was one of the most fun games I’ve been a part of,” Buddy said.

Later he caught a pass from Joe Girard III and promptly jacked a 3-pointer. He started backpedaling before the ball touched the netting. Of course it was going in.

It didn’t matter where Boston College stood or where Hughes was standing. BC didn’t have an answer, and few teams all year have. 

“Not many people have anybody that can guard Elijah in this league,” Boeheim said. 

No matter where the season will go as Syracuse faces an uphill stretch to make something of what’s headed for a lost season, the Orange put on one more show. For yet another night, Hughes just balled out.

Published on March 3, 2020 at 9:10 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44