Five minutes seems like nothing. But for Boston College, it felt like an eternity without star Ky Bowman at Syracuse.
"This is a minor, internal team issue and Ky will not start today's game," head coach Jim Christian said in a statement released shortly before tip-off. "Ky understands his role as a leader on this team. He takes it very seriously and accepts those leadership responsibilities. He and I - and his teammates - have discussed it and we are all moving forward."
Bowman's benching—the first of the season for the NCAA's leader in minutes played—translated into a slow start for the Eagles, which produced their lowest scoring output in a half this season. Despite a late 14-0 run, their early handicap proved too big a hurdle to overcome as they dropped their fourth-consecutive game in ACC play to the Orange, 67-56.
With Jared Hamilton and Chris Herren Jr. starting in place of Bowman and Wynston Tabbs, the Eagles couldn't get anything going on offense early. They started 0-for-10 from the field before Bowman finally checked in and provided an immediate spark. BC made five of its next 10 attempts with Bowman running the offense, cutting the deficit to 16-14 with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Bowman finished with five triples and 21 points in 35 minutes of action.
Buddy Boeheim continued to terrorize the Eagles, setting a new career-high with 14 points after he tied it when the Orange prevailed at Conte Forum back in January. The freshman sharpshooter drilled three 3-pointers late in the first half to help Syracuse pull ahead. Thanks in part to 10 points off of eight BC turnovers, the Orange entered the locker room with a 31-24 lead.
Early in the second half, the Eagles were bit by the injury bug twice within a minute of each other. First, Nik Popovic got smacked in the face while fighting for a rebound and went to the locker room to be evaluated under concussion protocol. Before BC could regroup, Steffon Mitchell landed awkwardly on his left leg and limped to the bench. Fortunately, Mitchell returned a few minutes later, but the Eagles' deficit would only grow to 20 points.
With Tyus Battle heating up for 15 points in the second half and Boeheim hitting his fourth triple of the afternoon, the game appeared out of reach with under 10 minutes to play. But BC was due for a signature almost-but-not-quite run down the stretch. The Eagles finally started converting from beyond the arc, where they shot just 1-for-9 in the first half. Led by Bowman and Jordan Chatman, BC rattled off a 14-0 run to trim the deficit to just six points. That, however, is as close as the Eagles would get as a Herren Jr. jumper marked their only other basket in the final four minutes.
Saturday afternoon's loss illustrated just how much BC relies on Bowman for any sort of offensive rhythm. The junior guard made 7-of-12 attempts compared to a dismal 11-for-42 effort by the rest of the team. Those opening five minutes without Bowman on the floor were simply too much for the Eagles to battle back from at the Carrier Dome, which reportedly hosted the largest crowd in Division I this season with 26,011 in attendance.
Uncharacteristically, the disciplinary issues are not a first for Christian's squad this season. Back in November, Tabbs was benched for a disciplinary matter in BC's win against Wyoming.
