Kansas suspends player indefinitely before hosting Tennessee

Kansas suspends player indefinitely before hosting Tennessee.

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball has suspended sophomore forward Silvio De Sousa indefinitely, just days before hosting Tennessee due to his participation in a bench-clearing brawl at the end of the Jayhawks’ win over Kansas State on Tuesday night.

It is unclear whether or not more players will join De Sousa in suspension, as several were involved in the fight that took place in the dying seconds of Kansas’ 81-60 victory over Kansas State.

De Sousa’s involvement stuck out however, when he picked up a stool, preparing to use it in the fight before being snatched out of his hand.

In De Sousa, the Jayhawks lose a 6-foot-9, 245-pound big man as they head into a matchup with the Vols in Allen Fieldhouse as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.

Formerly a highly-touted prospect out of IMG Academy, De Sousa has not had the production that was expected since arriving in Lawrence. The Angola native was averaging 2.6 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per contest before his suspension. In the win over Kansas State, De Sousa played only four minutes and registered two rebounds and three blocks without scoring.

Despite the limited role De Sousa has played for Kansas this season, Tennessee has struggled in dealing with similar length in the post, although the Vols received a boost when 7-foot, 240-pound redshirt freshman Uros Plavsic was ruled eligible. Plavsic has played in three games since, and averaged just over four points and one rebound per game.

Tennessee tips off against third-ranked Kansas at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, and it remains to be seen if De Sousa will be the only Jayhawk unavailable after Tuesday’s incident.