James Southerland's suspension from the SU basketball team is because of an NCAA investigation into the program's academic records, according to Post Standard beat writer Mike Waters.
Southerland, who has been SU's spark plug off the bench this season, and the team's third leading scorer, was benched for the Villanova game this past Saturday because of "an eligibility matter" according to SU Athletics.
Waters sites three sources who confirm the NCAA investigation, and say that Southerland had to clear up a separate temporary suspension earlier this season by making a payment to reimburse for improper benefits, one of those sources saying it was around $70.
According to two of those sources, Southerland's latest suspension centers on a term paper that one source says the NCAA is questioning whether or not portions of it were written by a tutor.
