Henderson Suspended for Rearranging Hansbrough's Nose

The FanHouse's Sportz Assassin has been all over this story like Gerald Henderson's elbow to Tyler Hansbrough's face. And now we've got this:

Duke's Gerald Henderson will be suspended for the Blue Devils' ACC Tournament opener against N.C. State on Thursday for a hard foul on North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough with 14.5 seconds left in the Tar Heels' 86-72 victory on Sunday.

As noted earlier, Hansbrough's nose wasn't broken but it was hard to tell at the time, what with the blood covering most of his face. In a statement released after the game, the three officials ruled the foul "as combative and confrontational action" and said such a foul is "ruled a fight... By rule, it is an automatic ejection. By NCAA rule, (Henderson) must sit out the next game."

Henderson said he had no intention of harming Hansbrough and I believe him ... even as a UNC fan.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, speaking before learning of the final ruling, said the team would abide by any verdict. He added, however, that upon viewing television replays, he was firmly convinced Henderson didn't want to strike the Tar Heels' center.

Whatever, the Blue Devils have a lot of issues heading into the ACC tournament. Losing arguably their best player of late doesn't help things, though I doubt Hansbrough and his new Owen Wilson-inspired nose feels sorry for them.

Also on the FanHouse:
ESPN.com's Pat Forde Thinks Duke Is A Joke
If Hansbrough Shouldn't Have Been Out There....Then Why Was Henderson?
Coach K and Roy Williams War of Words
Hansbrough Hurt at End Of Duke-UNC Game