University of Louisville men’s basketball senior point guard Chris Jones has been suspended for "a violation of team rules" and will not play in the Cardinals’ game at Syracuse on Wednesday night.
Jones’ suspension was announced Tuesday night on Twitter by Kenny Klein, the team’s Sports Information Director. It’s unclear how long the suspension will last.
The 5-foot-10 Jones is third on the squad in scoring (13.6 points per game) and leads the team in assists (3.7 per game) and steals (51).
Jones had been playing very well of late before he was benched in the second half of Louisville’s win over Pittsburgh last week. Jones, though, was back in the starting lineup this past Saturday and tallied a team-high 20 points in UofL’s surprising 74-65 loss to visiting North Carolina State at the KFC Yum! Center. He was 5 for 16 from the field, including just 1 of 7 from 3-point range, and 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Jones also had three assists, two steals and one turnover in 39 minutes.
Freshman guard Quentin Snider will likely start in Jones’ place when the Cards (20-5 overall, 8-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference), who are No. 12 in both national polls, play at Syracuse (16-9, 7-5) at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. The game between UofL, which is tied for fourth in the ACC, and SU, which is alone in sixth, will be televised on ESPN.
The 6-2 Snider, a graduate of Ballard High School, has played in 25 games this season and is averaging two points and 9.3 minutes per game. He played well in Jones’ sted against the Panthers, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds in 15 minutes.
“Tonight, I just wasn’t happy with Chris so I went with Q,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said after the Pitt game. “So you know how much confidence I have (in him). We’re in a war and I bench our starting point guard and I go with Quentin.”
The Cards are likely in a for a war Wednesday night. Syracuse recently declared itself ineligible for postseason play due to some unspecified infractions, so the Orange will likely be treating all its remaining games - especially those against ranked teams - as its NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse is led by 6-9 senior forward Rakeem Christmas (17.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg), 6-4 junior guard Trevor Cooney (14.6 ppg), 6-7 junior guard Michael Gbinije (12.9 ppg, 5 rpg), 6-10 freshman forward Chris McCullough (9.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg) and 6-8 sophomore forward Tyler Roberson (7.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg).
Photo courtesy University of Louisville Men’s Basketball Facebook Page
