Syracuse closed out a win over Georgetown with a bizarre and gritty moment in the final minute. With just over a minute to play and Syracuse up by seven, number 21 tried to dish the ball off, got fouled, took an elbow straight to the mouth, then dropped to the court before immediately sprinting toward the tunnel. It looked like he was ready to leave the game entirely. But head coach Jim Boeheim wasn’t having it. He stopped the player mid-exit, told him he just hurt a tooth and needed to stay in. According to Boeheim, the player was too important against pressure and had to stay on the court.
The cameras caught it all. The tooth was clearly damaged, and his teammates and even opponents wanted a look. He laughed it off and rejoined the action. Later, someone on the team even found the tooth and joked about saving it for a grandson. The player stepped up to the line and hit his free throw. Another Syracuse player flagged the ref about blood on the shooter’s arm, which got cleaned up with whatever they had, possibly even a pencil. Through it all, the tooth stayed broken and the player stayed in. He played through the final stretch with half a tooth and bloodied arms, helping Syracuse lock down the win. No word on whether he’ll fix the tooth soon or leave it busted for the rest of the season. Some think that might just be the move.