In the Paint: Boston College

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jan. 15, 2020

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Cover and spread photos by Elizabeth Billman Asst. Photo Editor

inside In rhythm With a newfound confidence, sophomore Buddy Boeheim is starting to heat up from behind the arc for Syracuse.

Page 3

Scouting the Eagles Before Syracuse takes on Boston College on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome, learn all about the Eagles.

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‘HI, I’M BUDDY’

BUDDY BOEHEIM is shooting 40.3% from 3 this year, fifth-best in the conference. But the difference for the sophomore this season is his confidence. Even he admitted that for SU’s offense to succeed, he needs to “be more of a shooter.” elizabeth billman asst. photo editor

By Nick Alvarez

senior staff writer

B

uddy Boeheim walked to the lectern in Sims Hall with a few index cards in his hands. He was in Communications and Rhetorical Studies 325: Presentational Speaking, about to give an informational speech to a class of about 20 students a few weeks before Syracuse’s 2019-20 season.

“Hi, I’m Buddy,” the 6-foot-6 sophomore started, “and this may surprise you, but I’m going to talk about basketball.”

The quip drew a laugh, and Buddy continued.

During the five-minute presentation, the son of SU’s 44-year-head coach detailed the sport they both love. Buddy waxed about the teamwork needed to win games and the sport’s transition from James Naismith’s peach baskets to a topfour sport in the country. Eventually, Buddy reached the game’s modern era and the advent of the 3-point line.

It transformed the game, Buddy argued.

After presenting NBA-legend Michael Jordan’s 3-point percentage (17.3% in his first year,

Buddy Boeheim has sunk the 12th-most 3s in the nation.

32.7% career), Buddy looked up and smirked.

“I’m also glad the 3-pointer was invented,” he said, deviating from his notecards.

Months later, Buddy has reaped the benefits of the deep ball in his first season as a starter for Syracuse (9-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast). His 58 makes from 3 are the 12th-most in Division-I, 10 off the leader, McNeese’s Dru Kuxhausen. His 40.3% shooting clip from behind the arc is fifth in the ACC and a few ticks better than his 37.5% twopoint rate — an aspect of his game he’s tried to work on this year to diversify his skillset. But make no mistake, Buddy is a 3-point shooter, and SU’s best, according to Jim Boeheim.

Buddy spent most of his first year in orange

on the bench. When he played, coaches and teammates urged him to shoot more. In his second season, he seems to have gotten the message. He’s attempted at least five more shots in every game, averaging 18 more minutes and nine more points. The path from bench piece to SU’s second-most important player came from increased confidence, former Orange coach and friend Eric Devendorf said.

But it’s mostly born out of necessity. Syracuse’s offense is reliant on Buddy, Elijah Hughes and Joe Girard III’s 3-point prowess. Most of Buddy’s worst-performances this season have been followed by similar pleas from his coach: shoot more.

“Buddy struggled,’’ Boeheim said after SU’s most-recent win against Virginia on Jan. 11. “He couldn’t make anything, but I know if we keep getting him those shots, he’s going to make them.’’

Against the Cavaliers, Buddy missed 10 of his first 11 shots. He still finished with 14 points.

Last year, his role was limited to garbage time.

Opposing crowds bashed the coach’s son. Buddy see buddy page 7

Hi, I’m Buddy, and this may surprise you, but I’m going to talk about basketball Buddy Boeheim 6-foot-6 sophomore forward

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men’s basketball

PREGAME Thornton, Heath lead Eagles backcourt PLAYBOOK

By Will Hentschel staff writer

acc standings All standings and statistics accurate as of Jan. 14

Duke 15-2 (5-1) Louisville 14-3 (5-1) Florida State 14-2 (4-1) Virginia Tech 13-4 (4-2) Virginia 11-4 (3-2) Boston College 9-7 (3-2) Georgia Tech 8-8 (3-3) Clemson 9-7 (3-3) NC State 11-5 (2-3) Miami 10-5 (2-3) Syracuse 9-7 (2-3)

scoring In descending order, here are the ACC’s leaders in points per game:

Jordan Nwora (Louisville): 20.8 Elijah Hughes (Syracuse): 19.5 Landers Nolley II (Virginia Tech): 17.9 Vernon Carey (Duke): 17.4 C.J. Bryce (NC State): 16.1 Michael Devoe (Georgia Tech): 16.1 John Mooney (Notre Dame): 15.7 Kameron McGusty (Miami) 15.4

assists

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — To make the jump from high school to the Atlantic Coast Conference, true freshman Jay Heath turned to the only teammate who’s played on three Division I teams in the past five years.

Derryck Thornton, Boston College’s graduate transfer guard, leads the Eagles in minutes, points and assists per game after spending time at Duke and USC. He and Heath make up the Eagles’ (9-7, 3-2 ACC) starting backcourt and have scored 35% of BC’s total points this year. “(Thornton’s) actually teaching me a lot,” Heath said after a Jan. 6 practice. “He’s been playing for four years, so I could learn a lot from him. I’m just taking as much as possible.”

When the Eagles come to the Carrier Dome on Jan. 15, Heath and Thornton will be tasked with breaking Syracuse’s zone defense with their shooting behind the arc.

Heath shoots 39% from deep, while Thornton’s clip is 25%.

Thornton decided to spend his final year of eligibility at Boston College shortly after his season at USC ended. According to the Boston Herald, Thornton appreciated BC head coach Jim Christian’s honesty and genuine nature and chose the Eagles over Gonzaga.

“I think it gives them a chance to mature,” Christian said, “When things don’t go your way and you try to find a new place, you know, you kind of get a new lease on life. And you got to make the most of it. So, he’s trying to do that.”

Heath said Thornton has been helping him and other younger members of the team mentally adjust to playing ACC basketball by sharing his experiences from playing for USC’s Andy Enfield and, before that, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

Thornton’s not just a veteran locker room presence. At BC, he’s playing the best basketball of his collegiate career, averaging 13.3 points per game. In his first game this season, he scored a career-high 23 points against Wake Forest and recorded 22 points versus

Nick Alvarez (13-3)

Prentiss Hubb (Notre Dame): 5.1 Xavier Johnson (Pitt): 4.9 Brandon Childress (Wake Forest): 4.6 Elijah Hughes (Syracuse): 4.4

rebounds In descending order, here are the ACC’s leaders in rebounds per game:

John Mooney (Notre Dame): 13.9 Olivier Sarr (Wake Forest): 9.1 Dwayne Sutton (Louisville): 9.1 Garrison Brooks (North Carolina: 8.9 Steffon Mitchell (Boston College): 8.8 Vernon Carey (Duke): 8.6 Moses Wright (Georgia Tech): 8.2 Armando Bacot (North Carolina): 7.8

wrhentsc@syr.edu

By The Daily Orange Sports Staff

Kihei Clark (Virginia): 5.9

Markell Johnson (NC State): 7.0

absence, Heath led BC’s upset against thenNo. 18 Virginia with 17 points but struggled against unranked Georgia Tech.

Mike Laprey, a BC communications official, told Syracuse.com Thornton is questionable to play against the Orange. When healthy, Thornton, Heath and Mitchell lead a BC defense that’s recorded the third-most steals per game in the conference (9.06).

With an offense that scores the secondleast points per game in the ACC, defense has become “our formula for success,” Christian said.

“We just have to make sure we do it throughout 20 games, which is not easy. ... So you know, I think we know when we play well, what we do, how we play and how unselfish we play and how hard we play on defense and all that stuff. So, we figured that out. We’re going to do it.”

Beat writers split on outcome of BC matchup

Wabissa Bede (Virginia Tech): 6.3

Tre Jones (Duke): 7.0

South Florida four days later. At his prior two stops, he’d never topped 19.

Heath, who played at Woodrow Wilson (Washington, D.C.) High School and became ESPN’s No. 2 player in the district, is mirroring Thornton’s night-to-night performances. As both a point guard and shooting guard — which Christian compares to playing starting running back and backup quarterback — Heath (12.1 points per game) has consistently scored in double figures and has the best 3-point percentage on the team.

Heath said Thornton’s helped him develop poise and patience.

“With those two, they both play so hard, they both move the ball very well,” BC forward Steffon Mitchell said. “They’re both great defenders. So, I think we all mesh together because we have that common goal.”

But for the past two games, Thornton has been sidelined with an ankle injury. In his

men’s basketball

Following an upset victory over thenNo.18 Virginia, Syracuse (9-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) will host Boston College (9-7, 3-2) on Wednesday night. The Eagles also beat Virginia last week before losing to Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Below, The Daily Orange beat writers predict if Syracuse will win its second-straight conference game.

In descending order, here are the ACC’s leaders in assists per game:

DERRYCK THORNTON, who transferred to BC from Southern California, leads the Eagles in scoring, minutes and assists in his fifth year. courtesy of bc athletics

Everybody gets one Boston College 65, Syracuse 59 I said pre-Virginia, “it would be very Syracuse to pull off a massive upset,” so I’ll take my consolation point where I can. And, maybe to the surprise of most, I’m going to use that same mindset to pick Boston College for Wednesday night’s game. I’ll admit this prediction is harder with the “questionable” status of leading-scorer Derryck Thornton and center Nik Popovic, but even then I haven’t seen enough from this SU squad to confidently say any momentum from the Virginia win will carry over. And a few key contributors — Elijah Hughes, Buddy Boeheim and Marek Dolezaj — are starting to show the wear-and-tear from conference play and that might offset BC’s lack of its top players. Like Boston College, Syracuse has been inconsistent all year and dropped games it should’ve won. Add another to that list.

Michael McCleary (10-6)

Boston’s punishment is coming...

Syracuse 72, Boston College 66 … and it’s going to be harsh. A loss to Syracuse certainly would be that for a team that’s picked up a couple of nice wins recently. SU’s win over Virginia is a tough one to gauge, but I think there is something

The last time Syracuse and Boston College met, the Orange beat the Eagles in the Carrier Dome, 67-56.

daily orange file photo

to be said about the momentum it might provide for an Orange roster that’s about to meet multiple teams that aren’t too strong.

Also, Syracuse’s surge in overtime can’t be ignored, even if it can’t be maintained. The ACC is a weird conference this year and is largely unpredictable, but they make us do this each week. So, someone has to win.

Josh Schafer (12-4)

Boston has college sports?

Syracuse 71 Boston College 64 So if there’s one thing we learned from Syracuse’s most recent win, it’s that the Orange’s

defense can handle poor offenses. Syracuse limited the Cavaliers – which entered the game 348 out of 350 teams in points per game – to 43 points in regulation. Boston College averages 10 more points than the Cavaliers (65) but still sits at 312th nationally in the category. This is the kind of game that even inconsistent offense, like the performance SU had last Saturday, can win a game. The Orange will carry some momentum from last weekend into a home game, and they will bring consecutive ACC wins for the first time this year. sports@dailyorange.com | @DOsports

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men’s basketball

Opponent preview: What to know about about the Eagles

By Nick Alvarez

senior staff writer

After defeating the reigning national champions, Syracuse (9-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) welcomes Boston College (9-7, 3-2) to the Carrier Dome on Wednesday night. The Orange look to build on their first win of 2020 against an inconsistent Eagles team.

Here’s what to know about BC ahead of the 6:30 p.m. tip.

Gambling Odds: Syracuse -12

All-time series:

Syracuse leads, 49-26

Last time they played:

SU beat the Eagles in the Dome, 67-56, in a battle of Ky Bowman versus Tyus Battle. Both scored 21 points, leading their teams as they did for much of last year. Bowman added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals while Battle added four rebounds and three steals.

Buddy Boeheim posted one of his best stat lines of the year, hitting four 3-pointers in 23 minutes. Oshae Brissett recorded a doubledouble (12 points, 12 rebounds) as the Orange capitalized on 18 Eagles turnovers.

The Boston College report:

BC pairs an adequate defense with a futile offense. Per KenPom, the Eagles rank 251st in adjusted offensive efficiency and 88th defensively. They gather 30.3% of their points from 3 and shoot 30% from behind the arc.

Head coach Jim Christian has piloted the Eagles through an up-and-down season.

Despite starting with three wins in four games, a nonconference slate that included losses to DePaul, Saint Louis and Richmond plummeted the Eagles to a sub-.500 record.

Heading into the new year, Boston College rattled off four straight wins, including a 64-60 win over California. Then, after a 39-point loss to then-No. 2 Duke in Cameron Indoor, Boston College hosted, and defeated, the thenNo. 18 Virginia. Last time out, BC continued its inconsistent play and lost by 19 to Georgia Tech. Starter and leading-scorer Derryck Thornton (13.3 ppg) didn’t play after injuring

ELIJAH HUGHES struggled last year against Boston College, scoring seven points on 3-for-7 shooting. Syracuse will expect Hughes to produce more on Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome.

daily orange file photo

from page 3

Tech and Georgetown respectively, have been bookended by his worst nights — like when he went one-for-seven and three-for-11 against nonconference opponents.

The Orange have routinely used an elbow screen by forward Marek Dolezaj to spring Buddy or Hughes near the 3-point arc. At times, Buddy has made it a point to work on a dribble-drive, pull-up jumper to draw defenders in and, in turn, give him more room to operate for a 3. He and SU’s forwards also dedicate five minutes of each practice to inbounds plays where Buddy hands the ball off to a big, who then screens a guard while Buddy behind the arc.

Boeheim said earlier this season that SU’s offense has used more movement than it has in years to create space for shooters. That’s come from the lack of an “alternative,” Boeheim said on Dec. 3 post-Iowa.

“As long as I’ve known him (Buddy’s) been a gym rat,” Devendorf said. “…He learned the good form, technique early. It doesn’t hurt that he’s 6-foot-5 and he can shoot over the defense. He also has a quick trigger and added up that’s what makes him a great shooter.”

After a corner 3 with 3:01 left gave SU a lead over Virginia, the shots started falling.

Boeheim scored nine more points in the overtime period — two 3s, one mid-range and one free throw. The highlight of the game was a near half-court heave, creating a permanent fixture in Buddy’s own Syracuse history. But a more telling moment came a few minutes earlier, with the Orange on a blistering run.

Hughes and Girard had each swished deep tries, the contest was nearly decided. Buddy capped the run with wing 3 that forced a UVA timeout.

As he jogged across the court, the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena mostly silent, Buddy nodded his head.

“I’m gonna keep shooting,” he shouted, as if everyone didn’t already know.

buddy wouldn’t be as aggressive after a few misses, let alone 10. But he doesn’t have that choice anymore. Devendorf, who texts Buddy before and after games, echoes the coaching staff’s message of constantly hurling 3s at the rim.

I know I need to be more of a shooter this year for us to be effective on offense.

That’s something I’m working on more than anything.

Buddy Boeheim

sophomore forward

Syracuse’s offense has worked on getting its three playmakers the ball in space and behind the arc. When Virginia suffocated the Orange in their first meeting on Nov. 6, Buddy went one-for-eight from deep. In the week that followed, assistant coach Gerry McNamara implemented more of a circlemotion game plan, originally used with Trevor Cooney, Michael Gbinije and Malachi Richardson. Buddy followed with a more efficient three-for-five performance against Colgate, crediting the spacing of a scheme he grew up watching.

“I know I need to be more of a shooter this year for us to be effective on offense,” Buddy said in November. “That’s something I’m working on more than anything.”

Being a shooter comes with cold stretches, and Buddy hasn’t been immune. His best runs, hitting six and seven threes against Georgia

his right ankle against Duke.

In the absence of Thornton and center Nik Popovic (back), BC has deployed a lineup of Jay Heath, CJ Felder, brothers Jared and Jairus Hamilton, and Steffon Mitchell.

How Syracuse beats the Eagles: Both of these teams took advantage of a remarkably inefficient Virginia team for their biggest wins of the season. While a resumebooster, they prove how sporadic ACC teams can be depending on the night. Luckily for SU, an erratic BC team appears to be in a downswing, with two of its major contributors “questionable” as of Tuesday afternoon.

Thornton and Popovic are two of Boston College’s three leading-scorers. BC has looked to

nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez

Heath (12.1 ppg) and Felder (13 points against GT) to fill the production void.

Syracuse displayed the ability to limit a porous offensive team in their win over the Cavaliers, and a similar strategy might come into play Wednesday night. BC isn’t a good 3-point shooting team, even with Thornton and Popovic on the floor, and the lack of Popovic’s 6-foot-11 frame reduced an interior scoring option. In another low-scoring matchup, it’ll again come down to SU’s zone holding up inside and its 3-point shooters hitting enough to put BC away.

Stat to know: 12.7

Boston College’s forced steal-percentage, 14th-highest in Division-I.

KenPom odds:

Syracuse has a 84% chance to win the game, with a final score of 74-63, per KenPom.

Player to watch: Jay Heath, No. 5

The freshman shooting guard has immediately found a consistent role in Christian’s rotation. He leads the team in minutes per game (32.4), 3-pointers (39.1%), and is third in assists (28). He’ll find himself patrolling Syracuse’s 2-3 zone looking for shots and also disrupting SU’s offense (22 steals). Virginia Tech’s Jalen Cone altered, and ultimately won, the last game played in the Dome with 3s, and Heath has the potential to do the same. nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez

BUDDY BOEHEIM is averaging 15.3 points per game on 40.3% from behind the arc, a clip that’s fifth in the conference.

elizabeth billman asst. photo editor

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