Syracuse player chips tooth in half but stays in game, a breakdown
What Happened
With just over a minute left in the game, Syracuse is leading Georgetown by 7 points. Syracuse's #21, Michael Carter-Williams, drives to the basket and is fouled by a Georgetown player. As he falls to the floor, it's clear something is wrong - Carter-Williams has taken an elbow directly to the mouth and has chipped his tooth in half. Trainers and coaches rush to Carter-Williams' aid, but the tough sophomore point guard is determined to stay in the game. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim tries to convince him to go to the locker room, but Carter-Williams insists on remaining on the court. "I stopped him," Boeheim says. "I said 'You just hurt your tooth, you didn't hurt anything else. Let's go.' He's too important to us, we need him in there against the pressure." As Carter-Williams makes his way back to the bench, his teammates and even the opposing Georgetown players gather around to inspect the damage. His tooth is clearly broken in half and blood is dripping down his chin. But the determined guard refuses to let the injury sideline him. "In the old days it might have been on purpose," Boeheim notes, "but this was accidental." Carter-Williams acknowledges the gruesome nature of the injury, laughing as his teammates examine his damaged tooth. A Syracuse trainer quickly grabs a pencil and wipes the blood off Carter-Williams' arm so he can re-enter the game. Despite the obvious pain and discomfort, Michael Carter-Williams finishes out the contest, helping Syracuse hold on for a 7-point victory over their Big East rivals. The gutsy performance from the junior guard is a testament to his toughness and commitment to his team. As the final seconds tick away, the image of Carter-Williams' chipped, bloody tooth is a lasting symbol of his determination and Syracuse's hard-fought win.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentsyracuse beaten georgetown by seven with
a minute and 11 seconds left to go and
it's gonna get gross this one's brought
to you by jackie because they requested
it thanks jackie
watching number 21 on syracuse here try
to dish it to number one he jumps up he
fouls him
gets fouled in return lays down on the
ground thinks about complaining then
immediately runs and tries to get to the
tunnel
and get off the court why we all ask
i took an elbow right to the mouth right
there bam
right to the mouth we're going to get a
couple different angles of this
and all of them are the same bam right
to the mouth that's the story that we're
being told
then he tried to leave he tried to leave
but jim behind said
no you are not leaving and here's him
talking about it
he was going to the locker room but i
stopped him i said you just hurt your
tooth you didn't hurt anything else
let's go he's too important to us we
need him in there against pressure
handling the ball and stuff so yeah he
tough to he toughed it out
it was just an accidental play in the
old days it might have been on purpose
but it was
this was accidental yeah easy for you to
say
jim you got nice teeth look at this dude
looks like a damn jack-o'-lantern
but he's laughing now he's got to walk
back to the court and show everyone even
the other teams like let me see dude let
me see let me see
yeah it's pretty messed up don't look
good yeah let me see let me see
and then you know just gotta he kept
playing this dude found the tooth gonna
go put it in a special jar he keeps
sending it to his grandson
he makes the first one and then number
11 on syracuse points to the ref like
that dude's bleeding all over his arm
ref says yeah come here son
we got to get this hey do you have a
pencil anywhere and then that dude takes
a pencil
and he erases all the blood off of his
elbow and he's back to it and he's good
and this dude i mean isn't it isn't it
hurt shouldn't liquids like sting
doesn't
losing half a tooth hurt he finished the
game
syracuse wins and that's the end of it i
hope he gets his tooth fixed now
or maybe not maybe you leave the tooth
not fixed for the rest of the season
that's the move that's the move