At the end of an 81-60 victory by Kansas over rival Kansas State on Tuesday, an ugly scene broke out as several players from both teams were involved in a fight that cleared the benches, spilling off the court and into a section of media and fans along the baseline.
Kansas took action quickly, suspending junior forward Silvio De Sousa indefinitely for his role in the incident.
The Big 12 conference has since stepped in, handing out specific suspensions to members of both teams.
Big12 suspensions from the Kansas- KState basketball brawl: KU’s Silvio De Sousa – 12 games; KSU James Love – 8 games; KSU’s Antonio Gordon – 3 games, KU’s David McCormack – 2 games
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 22, 2020
While De Sousa was given a 12 game suspension by the conference, Kansas could extend it further with the “indefinitely” label. De Sousa will, however, miss the Jayhawks’ bout with Tennessee on Saturday afternoon in the SEC/Big 12 challenge.
Added to the suspension list by the Big 12 was sophomore forward David McCormack with two games.
At 6-foot-10, 265-pounds, McCormack has had a more significant impact for Kansas this season. Averaging 7.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, the Jayhawks now lose two players that can challenge Tennessee’s length around the rim for Saturday’s matchup in Allen Fieldhouse.
Available for Saturday, however, is 7-foot senior Udoka Azubuike who scores nearly 13 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Tennessee enters the game against third-ranked Kansas at 12-6, off a 73-48 dismantling of Ole Miss in Thompson-Boling Arena.