Big 12 suspends De Sousa, three others
The Big 12 suspended four players from Kansas and Kansas State a combined 24 games Wednesday for their roles in a melee that spilled off the court and into a section of disabled seating in Allen Fieldhouse near the end of the third-ranked Jayhawks’ win over the Wildcats.
Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa, who already was suspended indefinitely by Jayhawks coach Bill Self, was given a 12-game suspension by the league office. His teammate, David McCormack, was suspended two games while Kansas State forward James Love received an eight-game suspension and Antonio Gordon got a three-game suspension.
Both schools also were reprimanded by the Big 12 for violations of its sportsmanship policy.
“This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated and these suspensions reflect the severity of last night’s events,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said. “I am appreciative of the cooperation of both institutions in resolving this matter.”
De Sousa was the main instigator on the Kansas side Tuesday night, getting stripped of the ball as he was dribbling out the final seconds of an 81-60 win. He recovered to block a layup attempt by the Wildcats’ DaJuan Gordon, then stood over the freshman in a taunting manner, triggering both benches to empty in a scrum that spilled into the fans.
At one point, De Sousa was preparing to swing a stool when it was plucked from his hands.
“I have suspended Silvio De Sousa indefinitely pending the final outcome of the review by KU and the Big 12 Conference,” Self said shortly after discussing the incident on the league’s weekly conference call with reporters. “As I said last night, we are disappointed in his actions and there is no place in the game for that behavior.”
Kansas (15-3) has played six conference games, which means De Sousa’s suspension from the Big 12 would last through the end of the regular season.
at No. 6. Louisville 68, Georgia Tech 64: Malik Williams’ latest stretch-run heroics for Louisville demanded athleticism, timing — and some resilience. Williams had 13 points off the bench and grabbed two late rebounds leading to three free throws in the final 23 seconds, helping the Cardinals (16-3, 7-1 Atlantic Coast) hold off the Yellow Jackets (8-11, 3-6)
at No. 7 Dayton 86, St. Bonaventure 60: Jalen
Crutcher scored 23 points, Obi Toppin had four dunks, and the Flyers (17-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10) — playing with their highest ranking in 52 years — showed their versatility while pulling away from the Bonnies (12-7, 4-2).
at No. 10 Seton Hall 73, Providence 64: Romaro Gill had 17 points, eight blocks and six rebounds in making up for a rare sub-par game by Myles Powell and the Pirates (15-4, 7-0 Big East) notched their ninth straight victory. Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said his team has grown since seeing Powell sustain a concussion in a defeat to Rutgers on Dec. 14, the last time it lost.
at No. 16 Auburn 80, South Carolina 67: Devan Cambridge scored 26 points, J’Von McCormick added 13 and the Tigers (16-2, 4-2 Southeastern) stopped a two-game skid. Auburn shot 46% and outscored South Carolina (10-8, 2-3) 38-16 in bench points.
at No. 19 Iowa 85, at No. 24 Rutgers 80: Luka Garza had 28 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawkeyes (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) held on in the closing seconds to beat the Scarlet Knights (14-5, 5-3).
at Tulsa 80, No. 20 Memphis 40: Jeriah Horne scored 21 points to help lead Tulsa to a surprisingly dominant win over Memphis (14-4, 3-2 American). The 40-point margin of victory is the largest ever for the Golden Hurricane (13-6, 5-1) against a ranked opponent.