Oregon has made it official: point guard Dominic Artis and big man Ben Carter, both of whom could have started for the Ducks in Friday’s season kickoff against Georgetown in South Korea, will be suspended for nine games.
The pair will be allowed to play on Dec. 17th, when the Ducks host UC Irvine. That means that they’ll miss important non-conference games against the likes of Georgetown, Ole Miss and Illinois.
The good news? Oregon has a trio of transfers that are eligible immediately in Jason Calliste, Joseph Young and Mike Moser. They have the depth to overcome the loss of these two guys, but that doesn’t mean they won’t feel the loss. If there is a silver lining here, it is that Dana Altman will be able to get two games in with his full lineup before conference play kicks off on January 2nd.
Artis and Carter were suspended for selling limited edition shoes that were given to them for being members of the Oregon basketball team. It may be silly, but it very much is an NCAA violation.