Louisville F/C Malik Williams Suspended vs. North Carolina
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball forward/center Malik Williams has been suspended for Tuesday's home game against North Carolina, interim head coach Mike Pegues announced on his radio show Monday night.
Pegues said the suspension was "one game for now", but characterized it more so as "indefinite".
"Bottom line, there’s a standard which all of our guys are expected to meet," he said. "Unfortunately, Malik hasn’t met that standard at different times throughout the year.
"As a result of that, now that I’m the interim head coach, I feel like it’s my duty and responsibility to maintain the character and the integrity in our locker room. When and if Malik decides he wants to partake in that, he will be welcomed back with open arms.”
Last week, the university and head coach Chris Mack mutually parted ways, with Pegues taking over as interim. The Cardinals (11-10, 5-6 ACC) fell to Duke 74-65 on Saturday, and have lost six of their last seven games.
Williams made headlines with his postgame comments following Louisville's 82-70 loss to Notre Dame back on Jan. 22. When asked if the players had tuned out the coaches, he responded with "I don't have a comment for that."
Four days later, Mack was gone. In a presser leading up to the Duke game, Williams again touched upon the disconnect again between the players and coaches under Mack.
"Something was up, but I think we got it all figured out now," he said.
Voted as a 2021-22 preseason All-ACC Second Team selection, the Fort Wayne, Ind. native is averaging 10.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game so far this season, leading the Cardinals in both categories.
The co-captain has started in 19 of Louisville’s 21 games this year, coming off the bench in the season opener and missing the game at Western Kentucky due to COVID-19.
Tipoff between the Tar Heels and Cardinals is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Malik Williams: Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports)
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