As nasty brawl broke out with just seconds remaining in the Kansas-Kansas State game on Tuesday night, and Jayhawks coach Bill Self is not pleased with the way his players handled the situation.
The fight started when Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa was dribbling out the clock with his team leading 81-59. Kansas State’s DaJuan Gordon stole the ball from De Sousa and tried to sprint down the court for a layup, but De Sousa blocked the attempt and mayhem ensued.
Benches emptied at the end of the Kansas State-Kansas game. pic.twitter.com/zWv46h3RJC
— ESPN (@espn) January 22, 2020
After the game, Self called the brawl an “embarrassment” and said both teams were at fault. He also acknowledged that there will be consequences, which will likely come in the form of suspensions for several players.
#Kansas head coach Bill Self: “I gotta watch the tape and see the extent of it….but I know we were in the wrong. Both parties were in the wrong but we were in the wrong…..that was an embarrassment on our part for the role we played in it and there will be consequences.” pic.twitter.com/Q1XsiKnXxS
— Breland Moore (@BrelandKCTV5) January 22, 2020
At one point during the fight, De Sousa picked up a chair and looked like he was about to use it as a weapon before someone pulled it out of his hands. You can see another angle that shows how ugly things got here.
The brawl could have been avoided in a number of ways, starting with Gordon not stealing the ball. That was the equivalent of linemen in football still trying to hit each other when a team is in the victory formation, and it’s completely unnecessary. That said, De Sousa should have just let it go and walked off the court with a win. His actions — and those of other players involved — certainly were not excusable.
