BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Facing No. 1 seed Duke for the third time this season, No. 9 Syracuse will be without its best player after a first-half altercation in the second round of the ACC Tournament against Florida State on Wednesday.

Syracuse senior guard Buddy Boeheim, son of coach Jim Boeheim, appeared to punch FSU's Wyatt Wilkes in the gut after a basket that gave the Orange a 25-10 lead over the Seminoles with 10:17 left in the first half.

Boeheim punched Wilkes in the stomach as he turned to get back on defense after teammate Joseph Girard III made a 3-pointer.

No foul was called on Boeheim, but the ACC announced a one-game suspension for the "flagrant act" early Wednesday evening.

Boeheim, who leads Syracuse in scoring this season and was an All-ACC first-team selection, scored 11 points in Syracuse's 96-57 rout of Florida State, setting up a third matchup against Duke on Thursday at noon ET at the Barclays Center.

After the game, Jim Boeheim said he saw the video of the play and defended his son, stating the strike against Wilkes was “inadvertent” and said Wilkes pushed Buddy twice before the altercation. Boeheim added that he was not concerned that Buddy would be suspended for the game against Duke.

BRACKETOLOGY: Gonzaga will again be top overall No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday

SPORTS NEWSLETTER: Sign up now for updates sent to your inbox

"No, I don't think he hit him," Jim Boeheim said after the win. "He just swung around and there was contact. The kid pushed him twice. You can't just let people push you around."

Following the game, Buddy Boeheim cited the "heat of (the) game."

"After some shoving in the lane, I swung my arm while turning to go back up the court," Boeheim said in the statement posted on social media. "It was wrong to act out in frustration. I apologized to Wyatt Wilkes multiple times in the handshake line. He said not to worry about it, but I know it was wrong. I pride myself in respecting the game and our opponent. I will not react that way again."

FSU coach Leonard Hamilton was asked about the punch and defused the situation.

“There’s not a better kid in the ACC than Buddy Boeheim," he said. "We’ll move on and let how well they played be the information we need to talk about in relation to this game.”

The Blue Devils (26-5, 16-4) defeated the Orange by 20 and 25 this season with the last win, 97-72, in the Carrier Dome on Feb. 26.

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Syracuse's Buddy Boeheim suspended after appearing to punch opponent