NMSU's Robert Carpenter Suspended Indefinitely After Punching Opponent

3:27 PM -- New Mexico State just announced it's suspending Robert Carpenter indefinitely for his punch Thursday night.

"His actions do not align with the standards we uphold at New Mexico State," the school said in a statement Friday afternoon, "and we believe it is important to ensure that any actions contrary to our principles will not be tolerated."

New Mexico State men's basketball player Robert Carpenter unloaded a haymaker on his opponent's nose during a tiff in a game Thursday night ... and the incident was so brazen, even his own coach is now expecting him to receive a suspension.

The violent play happened with about 12 minutes to go in the first half of the Aggies' tilt with Liberty in Las Cruces ... when Carpenter and Shiloh Robinson got in a tussle while trying to fight for position for a possible rebound.

Broadcast video shows the guys pushed and shoved each other ... before, suddenly, Carpenter uncorked a right hook that landed flush on Robinson's face.

The Liberty forward immediately crumpled to the ground in pain ... and Carpenter was instantly ejected after being issued a flagrant foul 2.

Robinson eventually got up after being tended to by trainers, but he did not return to action.

After the game -- which NMSU ended up winning, 79-73 -- Aggies coach Jason Hooten called Carpenter's actions unacceptable ... and said he anticipated a ban for Carpenter was forthcoming.

"Even if there was something that put Rob in that state of mind to do what he did," Hooten said, "it's still not acceptable."

Hooten did add, though, that he knows Carpenter "feels really bad about what he did."

"There's just no room for that in the game," he said. "At all."

Hooten told media members Carpenter will definitively not play in NMSU's game on Saturday against Jacksonville State ... though his status after that is still unclear.

Carpenter has been one of the Aggies' best players this season, averaging 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.