More details have emerged regarding the suspensions of Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly.
Both basketball players were suspended for receiving impermissible benefits in the form of clothing from a Manhattan department store. The NCAA violations, considered secondary violations, occurred when the two seniors took clothing from the store that exceeded the value of the merchandise paid for.
Neither Pullen nor Kelly was present at the Sprint Center on Tuesday night, when UNLV knocked off the 11th-ranked Wildcats 63-59 before a sold-out crowd.
And, neither player will be in uniform tonight, when Kansas State (9-3) entertains Missouri-Kansas City (7-4) at Bramlage Coliseum.
The game will be televised at 7 on FSN.
The Kangaroos are 0-2 in road games thus far and Kansas State is now 0-2 at the Sprint Center this season, having lost to top-ranked Duke early in the season.
Pullen’s suspension is for three games, while the length of Kelly’s suspension has yet to be determined as of presstime on Wednesday evening.
The Wildcats had plenty of opportunities to overtake UNLV during the second half, but had it slip from their grasp.
“Until this team (finds) that character and that leadership, we’re going to continue to flounder around,” said a dismayed Frank Martin, Kansas State’s head coach, after Tuesday’s debacle, the Wildcats’ second straight loss. “We’re immature and somewhere along the lines, our guys think that you can win basketball games without passing the basketball.
“Six assists and 23 turnovers and all 23 are just nonchalant, non-aggressive turnovers and it’s frustrating to watch.”
Besides sitting out Tuesday and tonight’s home date with UMKC, Pullen will also miss the non-conference game with North Florida at Bramlage on New Year’s Eve. His suspension will be lifted at that time, and he will be eligible to play in Kansas State’s home game with Savannah State on Jan. 3.
Pullen, a preseason All-America candidate after establishing himself as an honorable mention All-American last season by The Associated Press, is the team’s leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, along with 3.8 assists.
Kelly, who, along with Pullen and the departed Denis Clemente started all 37 games last season for the Wildcats’ Elite Eight team, has averaged 10.3 points in eight games this season, including five starts.
Kelly was suspended by Martin for the first three games of the 2010-11 season because of poor practice habits.