Jeffrey Carroll Witheld by Oklahoma State Pending Review of Basketball Program

The Oklahoma State Cowboys announced Friday that senior guard Jeffrey Carroll will be withheld from playing pending a review of the program, according to CBS Sports' Reid Forgrave. 

Oklahoma State was among the schools named in the FBI's years-long investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball. 

Former Cowboys assistant coach Lamont Evans, who has since been fired, was recently among those indicted by a federal grand jury on "fraud and other charges that carry potential penalties upon conviction of decades in prison," according to ESPN.com news services (via ABC News). 

The news of Carroll's impending absence is a major blow to the Cowboys, who were likely to look to the senior as a stabilizing force after losing Jawun Evans—last year's leading scorer—to the NBA. 

After averaging a modest six points per game during his first two seasons in Stillwater, Carroll erupted as a junior and poured in 17.5 points per game on 53.7 percent shooting from the field, including 44.4 percent shooting from three. 

With Carroll, Evans and Phil Forte all out of the picture, the highest scorer remaining from last year's team is junior Dayton Dillard (5.7 points per game). 

Look for 4-star recruit Zack Dawson to be called upon early and often to try to help stabilize head coach Mike Boynton's office as the Cowboys get set to open their season Friday against Pepperdine.