Kansas basketball and the ‘Sunflower Throwdown’

The massive brawl at the end of Kansas basketball’s win over Kansas State sparked tons of debate, reactions, and criticism.

Kansas basketball took home a great 81-60 victory over their in-state rival Kansas State last night in a dominating fashion, but the win was marred by the massive fight at the end of the game. The biggest question is: what now, as well as who gets suspended and for how long?

First thing’s first, you have to find out who was most involved in the fight.

Let’s start with the steal since that’s where the bad blood started. The game hadn’t been chippy at all up until the final seconds, so it’s safe to say that when DaJuan Gordon stole the ball from Silvio De Sousa, things were about to get interesting.

De Sousa chased down Gordon and cleanly blocked his shot with around second left on the clock. The next key checkpoint is when De Sousa stares down and stands over Gordon after volleyball-spiking his layup attempt.

With time still on the clock, the Kansas State bench cleared things began to look more like a WWE match than a college basketball game. Here’s the full video:

The fight itself only lasted about 15 seconds, but it was enough to turn the college hoops world upside down. ESPN’s Dick Vitale called Silvio De Sousa’s actions “criminal,” while ESPN’s Jay Bilas had a more rational approach:

"“The game was over. The steal was unnecessary, standing over an opponent was unnecessary, the words and shoves were unnecessary. The ensuing brawl was ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. Each person involved (save for those attempting to break it up) knows better. Suspensions should follow.” via Jay Bilas’ Twitter"

So, what would suspensions look like for Kansas basketball (yes, multiple K-State players will be punished too)? We might be able to ballpark estimate some suspensions based on other incidents similar to the ‘Sunflower Throwdown.’

Marcus Smart was involved in an altercation with a Texas Tech fan back in 2014 where he shoved a man during a game. He was suspended three games by the NCAA, and that was the end of it.

In 2011, a full-on brawl erupted at the end of a game between Cincinnati and Xavier. This one was similar in proportion to the Kansas vs. Kansas State fight. All in all, two Cincinnati players were suspended for six games and another player for one game, while Xavier suspended two players for four games, one player for two games, and another player for one game.

Based on those precedents, it’s not unlikely that De Sousa gets at very least three games suspended, maybe even four or five. This picture of him holding a stool is especially damning:

It is important to note that while De Sousa picked the chair up, he never swung it, and therefore did not hit anyone. His intention is up for debate, but there’s a big difference between bludgeoning someone with a stool and picking up a stool.

David McCormack could also be on the hook for a game or two, and Marcus Garrett also has a chance to miss a game.

In addition to college basketball analysists, multiple Kansas basketball alumni also shared their thoughts on the Sunflower Throwdown. Devonte’ Graham and Wayne Selden both showed their support for the team on Twitter; however, Scott Pollard was critical of the Jayhawks and their actions:

"“I’ll always love my Jayhawks but I’m pretty embarrassed of a few of them right now.” – Scott Pollard"

The hotly debated question of “who started it?” could have multiple answers, but here’s one take:

The fight began the moment the Kansas State bench cleared. Before you comment, hear me out. Saying that De Sousa instigated the fight by staring down Gordon is using a double standard.

The poor sportsmanship began when Gordon stole the ball while De Sousa dribbled out the remaining five seconds. The block was clean, and yes, De Sousa shouldn’t have stood over Gordon but standing over a player isn’t fighting a player. At worst, De Sousa should have been given a technical by the officials (who were nowhere to be found) for taunting and everything would have been fine.

Look, if you have a different opinion that’s great, you’re entitled to it. The bottom line is that the entire thing looks bad for both universities, and all joking aside, anyone involved should be punished, no matter what jersey (or street clothes) they were in.

February 29 should be interesting…