Boughter: Tennessee Still Faces Uphill Battle Despite De Sousa Suspension

Following a late brawl between intrastate rivals Kansas and Kansas State on Tuesday, Jayhawks forward Silvio De Sousa has been suspended indefinitely. Jacob Boughter explains why the Vols are still in for an uphill battle.

Tennessee’s weekend date at Allen Fieldhouse just got a whole lot easier.

Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa has been indefinitely suspended after his role in a bench-clearing brawl Tuesday night against Kansas State.

De Sousa blocked a meaningless layup as time expired in Tuesday night’s game and celebrated by standing over Kansas State’s DeJuan Gordon. A fight quickly ensued, and in the chaos that followed, both team’s benches rushed onto the court. A few seconds later, De Sousa picked up a stool and attempted to swing it at a Kansas State player.

Kansas has not announced how long De Sousa will be suspended, or if other players on the team will also miss this weekend’s game with Tennessee. However, it is expected that more players from both teams will be suspended at some point by the Big 12.

De Sousa’s absence will help Tennessee, as he is a fearsome shotblocker in the paint. However, he was only averaging eight minutes a game this season.

His absence might mean that Udoka Azubuike will need to play more than his typical 27 minutes per night. If Tennessee can get Azubuike into foul trouble, the Jayhawks could be in trouble without De Sousa. David McCormack, the only other big in Kansas’s typical rotation, is not much of a shotblocker, only averaging 0.2 blocks per game.

With their big man rotation stretched thin, Kansas will need to rely on more three-guard and four-guard lineups than normal. This could play into Tennessee’s hands, as the Vols have a number of long, athletic wings that could shut down Kansas’s smaller lineups. 

Players like Jordan Bowden, Yves Pons, and Josiah-Jordan James could have a field day defending the Jayhawks’ guard-centric lineups.

Of course, if more Kansas players are suspended for this weekend’s game, these problems will be exaggerated. For example, McCormack was involved in the brawl as well. If he is also suspended, Azubuike will be the only big in KU’s typical rotation left standing.

However, Kansas is ranked third in the country for a reason and Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike are two true stars in today’s college basketball landscape. 

Assuming neither player is suspended in the leadup to the game, Tennessee will have their work cut out for them.