Seton Hall suspends Sterling Gibbs two games for his punch

Already in the midst of a five-game losing streak that has left its NCAA tournament hopes on life support, unraveling Seton Hall now has endured another blow.

The Pirates will be without their leading scorer for their next two games.

Sterling Gibbs has been suspended for Saturday's visit to St. John's and a Feb. 28 home game against Creighton as a result of the punch he threw Monday night in a loss to Villanova. The junior guard received a flagrant 2 foul and an automatic ejection after he appeared to intentionally hit Villanova's Ryan Arcidiacono in the face while they were on the floor wrestling for the ball late in the game.

Seton Hall's decision to suspend Gibbs was clearly the correct move in spite of the heartfelt apology he penned on Twitter after the game. Wrote Gibbs, "Man that's not who I am. I'm sorry to my family, friends, fans, and team for being an embarrassment. Even more sorry to @RyArch15 .. I let my emotions get the best of me and that wasn't acceptable at all. I hope you're alright and I will face any consequences coming."

The absence of Gibbs will make it even tougher for Seton Hall to emerge from the tailspin that has derailed a once-promising season.

When the Pirates posted back-to-back upsets of St. John's and Villanova in early January, they entered the AP Top 25 for the first time and appeared to be in position to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in Willard's five-year tenure. They were still 15-6 overall and 5-4 in league play after a Jan. 31 victory over Xavier, but they've since dropped five straight by an average of 13.2 points and had key guard Jaren Sina quit the team for undisclosed reasons.

Gibbs' wayward shooting has contributed to the past two losses, but he's still easily Seton Hall's most important player. The 6-foot-2 New Jersey native is averaging 16.7 points and 3.7 assists and shooting 44.4 percent from behind the arc, all of which made him a candidate for Big East player of the year before the Pirates' recent struggles.

By all accounts, Gibbs' punch was out of character for him and Arcidiacono quickly accepted the Seton Hall guard's apology.

Nonetheless, the mistake will prove costly for a team that needs Gibbs on the floor and can't afford anymore February losses.