The action came one day after the Saint Paul Pioneer Press quoted a former university employee as saying she had done course work for at least 20 players in the basketball program, including four on the current squad. Five hours before tipoff, university president Mark Yudof announced that starters Kevin Clark and Miles Tarver, along with reserves Antoine Broxsie and Jason Stanford, were suspended pending the outcome of an inquiry into allegations of academic fraud. Coach Clem Haskins wholeheartedly agreed with Yudof's decision. I've been that way for 55 years. I won't change tomorrow or today.
Some people sell their souls to win.
I don't do that. Never have, never will. The scandal has enveloped Haskins' program in a cloud of uncertainty, a mood reflected in the quiet of the Gophers' locker room and the blank expressions on the faces of the four suspended players. The depleted team quickly fell far behind the underdogs of Gonzaga, a small school seeded 10th in the tournament. The only times they got on the court was during timeouts, when they peered in from the edge of team huddles.