It was a usual ball game except for belligerence and brouhaha. The two ballers came face to face and to the blows on the hardwood. They hurled punches over passes and made it a cankerous contest. As the current season’s vicious event, the showdown has already sparked off new headlines and heat. 

It began when the Providence Friars played their fourth match against the Kansas State on Friday at the Baha Mar Convention Center. The Kansas trumped the Providence by a narrow margin of 73-70. However, things didn’t look good between the two side.

The fiasco

Both the teams were tied at 57 which led them into overtime. During the OT, things got so heated up that a fight broke out between the Friars’ point guard Garwey Dual and the Kansas’ guard Dai Dai Ames. Both the players were nudging each other when Dual punched Ames, and both athletes had then to be controlled by their teammates and coach. Though the match ended on the Kansas’ side, both the teams faced a major disadvantage as their participants were suspended. 

The NCAA rules state that in case of quarrels, the players will be suspended for one game. Thus, the Kansas will be deficient of Ames in their roster against the Miami. Similarly, the Providence will be without the services of Dual in their contest against the Georgia. This will be a significant loss for both the teams since Ames potted a crucial 10 points with three rebounds and four assists, whereas Dual had basketed 7 points with 3 rebounds and an equal number of assists.

Read More: Looking Back at How the Kentucky Wildcats 2009–10 Season Changed College Basketball

Though both of the confrontational athletes weren’t in the starting five, they were considered essential replacements while rotating the players. Their role was not just limited to being the supporting fiddles.

Players like none others

Dual extended his services for a number of schools. He was previously with the George Bush High School before moving to the Carmel High School. He transferred once again during his sophomore year to Southern California Academy. The Houston-born averaged a whopping 16 points with 7 assists per match and 3 steals per game during his 2022-23 campaign. He was a four-star recruit who chose Providence over other colleges such as Arizona, Wisconsin, etc. But once head coach Ed Cooley left for the Georgetown, Dual too withdrew his plan only to sign the Letter of Intent to play with Providence later.

Ames on the other hand is also a freshman at the Kansas State who plied his services for the Kenwood Academy in 2022-23. Averaging a whopping 21.4 points with 3.1 rebounds per contest and 4.3 assists per game, Ames had potted more than 1500 points by the end of his career. His exemplary performances propelled his team – the Broncos to outfox their opponents in 54 matches during his last two years with them. The team also bagged Class 4A Super Sectional titles consecutively as Ames became a four-star prospect.

With Dual’s absence during the next game against the Georgia, guards Corey Floyd Jr. and Rich Barron will have to step up. Floyd might be offered more game minutes in their next clash, whereas Barron might have to amp up his game and function as a guard for the time being. It will also mean more pressure on their starting five since the coach would not be able to rotate the players at his best. Tactically, the Wildcats would also be one less option when they face-off the Miami. Ames was the only rotated player in the starting five which also means they relied more on him than any other benched guard. With Ames’ absence, either one of their guards Dorian Finister and Cam Carter will have to take things into their own hands and coach Jerome Tang will have to minutely monitor layups. 

Watch This Story: Watch: Right After Getting the 1st Warriors Bucket, Chris Paul Sets Up Stephen Curry in an Astounding Breakaway Play

Both Ames and Dual were developing their game according to the college basketball standards and the current suspension for both will be detrimental to them and their teams.