Ring the bell, sound the horn. Buddy Boeheim is officially back following his 27-point outburst against NC State. It has been a common narrative all season to declare someone as the true number one. Or at least a player who has the chops to take SU to previously unreachable heights.
Boeheim is the player to spotlight and the only one to fit that mold for the Orange.
The junior thrives in the two most important offensive categories: consistency and efficiency. In the last eight games, Boeheim has upped his three-point percentage from an average of 29% to 36%. For a volume three-point shooter, that’s a drastic change. In five of the last eight, Boeheim shot over 45% from distance. He now sits at second in the conference in three-point shooting percentage.
His keen ability to find open space is paying dividends as well. Instead of dribbling into the lane and hoisting a fadeaway 10-footer, Boeheim is finding his spots. The junior went 4-of-4 inside the arc against NC State yesterday. He even adapted to his three-point shooting struggles against Clemson with a 4-for-5 clip from two-point range. 
In the last eight contests, Boeheim is shooting 50% from the field. There’s the efficiency aspect steadying in his near polished game.
On a consistency front, the numbers speak volumes. 
The guard has scored in double figures in every game dating back to February 9. That includes four 20 or more point performances from the junior in the last eight. His minutes all fluctuate around the 35 mark. Boeheim is also staying on the floor, totaling two or fewer fouls in six out of his last eight games.
SU has lacked consistency all season. Much of the same can be said about efficient outputs on a game-by-game basis. But if Boeheim keeps this run of success going, The Orange will go as far as the junior starter takes them.
It’s apparent in the win column, with Syracuse victorious in six of its last eight games ever since Boeheim started to play well. It was even more prominent in the Orange’s 89-68 win over NC State, where the guard made six threes for the third time in a six-game stretch.
The obliteration of the Wolfpack proved that Boeheim’s ceiling keeps rising. The only question that remains is if the guard is “that guy” to keep the music blaring in the Big Dance.
