Louisville F/C Malik Williams Suspended versus North Carolina
The fifth-year big man is the Cardinals’ leading scorer and rebounder.
Louisville, Ky. – Malik Williams, the Louisville men’s basketball forward/center, has been suspended for Tuesday’s home game against North Carolina, interim head coach Mike Pegues stated on his radio broadcast Monday night.
Pegues stated that the punishment was “one game for now,” but described it as “indefinite.”
“Bottom line, there’s a standard which all of our guys are expected to meet,” he went on to say. “Unfortunately, Malik has not met that threshold at various points throughout the year.
“As a result, now that I’m the interim head coach, I believe it is my duty and responsibility to uphold the character and integrity of our locker room. When and if Malik decides to participate, he will be warmly welcomed back.”
Last week, the institution and head coach Chris Mack agreed to separate ways, with Pegues serving as interim. The Cardinals (11-10, 5-6 ACC) fell to Duke 74-65 on Saturday and have now lost six of their previous seven games.
Williams made news with his postgame comments after Louisville’s 82-70 loss to Notre Dame on January 22. When questioned if the players had tuned out the coaches, he replied, “I don’t have a comment for that.”
Mack left four days later. In a press conference prior to the Duke game, Williams again mentioned the gap between the players and coaches under Mack.
“Something was up, but I think we got it all figured out now,” he went on to say.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana native was named to the 2021-22 preseason All-ACC Second Team and is currently averaging 10.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, leading the Cardinals in both categories.
The co-captain has started 19 of Louisville’s 21 games this season, coming off the bench in the season opener and missing a game against Western Kentucky due to COVID-19.
The Tar Heels and Cardinals will tip off at 8:00 p.m. EST.
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