Big 12 suspends four players in wake of Kansas-Kansas State melee.
The Big 12 suspended four players from Kansas and Kansas State a combined 25 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 thirdranked 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 eightgame 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.
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 fans.
At one point, De Sousa was preparing to swing a stool when it was plucked from his hands, and several players from both teams threw wild punches while a sellout crowd in Allen Fieldhouse watched in shock.
“Obviously an unfortunate situation,” said Dan Gavitt, the
NCAA vice president for men’s basketball. “It’s a conference game, so it will be up to the Big 12 to determine what actions need to be taken. Other than that, it’s too early to say how it might affect them (in the NCAA Tournament).”