Syracuse starting point guard Frank Howard will not play in his team’s NCAA tournament opener against Baylor on Thursday due to suspension.
Syracuse starting point guard Frank Howard will not play in his team’s NCAA tournament opener against Baylor on Thursday due to suspension.
Syracuse announced the senior’s absence on the eve of the first-round game, saying Howard “will not play in the NCAA tournament for an indefinite period of time due to a violation of athletic department policy.”
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No more specific reason was given. Head coach Jim Boeheim gave vague answers about the suspension at his day-before news conference in Salt Lake City on Wednesday:
The Daily Orange reported that Howard’s suspension was related to a failed drug test.” data-reactid=”22″ type=”text”>On Wednesday night, Syracuse student newspaper The Daily Orange reported that Howard’s suspension was related to a failed drug test.
Boeheim would not say whether Howard would be available on Saturday for a potential matchup with top-seeded Gonzaga.
He appeared to say that Syracuse practiced with Howard’s impending absence in mind. Howard did travel with the team to Salt Lake City:
Howard played 37 and 39 minutes, respectively, in Syracuse’s two ACC tournament games last week.
Howard appeared to trip Zion Williamson as the Blue Devils star turned to run down the court after a dunk.” data-reactid=”31″ type=”text”>In the second of the two, a quarterfinal loss to Duke – Syracuse’s last game prior to the NCAA tournament – Howard appeared to trip Zion Williamson as the Blue Devils star turned to run down the court after a dunk.
