Marshawn Powell gets suspended

It has been a while since we have heard about trouble coming out of Fayetteville, AR, but apparently it was only a matter of time.

Sophomore Marshawn Powell, who averaged 14.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg as a freshman, has been suspended by head coach Dennis the Menace John Pelphrey. This came on the heels of Powell seeing his playing time severely diminished -- he only played one minute against Texas Southern after playing just 10 minutes at Texas A&M -- and is only averaging 7.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg.

Some of that is a result of Powell battling back from a broken foot he suffered over the summer. Apparently there is something else going on as well:

Pelphrey has consistently declined to comment on the reason why Powell's play was diminished.

Most recently, Powell was late getting back from the Christmas break, reporting that he was involved in a traffic accident in his home state of Virginia.

"We sat down and had a little talk on (Tuesday), after he got back," Pelphrey said. "I think he took it pretty well. He is still a part of this basketball team and I think he knows he needs to do some things to get back out on the floor with the team. It is a fluid situation and can be as short or as long as it needs to be."

It certainly has to be frustrating for Razorback fans.

Arkansas may very well be the best team in the SEC West this season, which, admittedly, isn't saying all that much. Still, with Rotnei Clarke being joined with guys like Julysses Nobles and Delvon Johnson, Arkansas has some pieces this season.

If Pelphrey can get Powell to buy into what he selling, the Razorbacks will be a team to keep an eye on come conference play.