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AP Photo Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates wipes tears from his eyes Monday during a news conference in Cincinnati where he apologized for his part in a fight that broke out at the end of the basketball game between Cincinnati and Xavier on Saturday. Four players from each team, including Gates, were suspended.

There have been plenty of people complaining about the punishments handed down following the brawl at the end of the Saturday's crosstown shootout between Xavier and Cincinnati. Media in Cincinnati and nationally have accused the suspensions - which range from one to six games -- of having very little teeth.

But the bigger issue isn't who was suspended and for how long, but who is in charge of determining those penalties. The suspensions of the players involved were determined by their respective schools and endorsed by their respective conferences, not the NCAA.

And that's the problem. The people determining how long the players have to be off the floor are some of the people that have the most invested in having them on it. This isn't an issue of Xavier and Cincinnati or the Atlantic 10 or Big East. They're all simply acting within the rules as they currently exist.

What if a similar incident happened in mid-February and one of the schools was an NCAA bubble team. Would a school or a conference risk losing a tournament bid and the money that comes with it by suspending a key player or two? Some schools and some conferences would act honorably. Some maybe not.

They shouldn't have to make the call. The NCAA needs someone, either a single administrator, or a committee, whose job it is to hand out discipline, one that would mirror similar positions in professional sports leagues.

He, she or they would watch video of the incidents and determine penalties for players, coaches and in some cases referees. Perhaps the Division I committee could be made up of Division II and/or III administrators or maybe former officials.

Having seen what the NCAA has done with too many other things, it might be folly to put it in charge of something else. But it would be better than letting the schools decide.

INDIANA IS BACK - There were good signs that the Hoosiers' recovery from the damaging Kevin Sampson era even before Saturday. But after Christian Watford's buzzer-beater knocked off No. 1 Kentucky to make Indiana 9-0, the Hoosiers' return to national power status was complete. With only one senior - Verdell Jones III - playing double-digit minutes, this resurgence should have some staying power.

ATLANTIC 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK: Iona at Richmond, Wednesday at 3 p.m. - The Gaels, with wins over Maryland and Saint Joseph's, are one of the best Metro Atlantic Athletic Association teams in recent years. Their losses are to Purdue and a very good Marshall team.

The Spiders have been inconsistent. They have wins over Rutgers and Wake Forest, but lost 73-51 to a Virginia Commonwealth team that doesn't much resemble last year's Final Four squad.

Temple at Texas, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) - Is is too early to be thinking about games that will impact the Owls' NCAA tournament profile?

Villanova at Saint Joseph's,  Saturday at 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) - The Wildcats are down and the Hawks are improved. Could St. Joe's win Philadelphia's Catholic clash?

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.