Miami Hurricanes suspend starting guard Ja’Quan Newton

For the second year in a row, the University of Miami men’s basketball team will be forced to enter the critical end of the season stretch without point guard Ja’Quan Newton.

The school announced before Wednesday night’s game against Georgia Tech that Newton, a junior starter who averages 15 points per game, was suspended three games for violating team rules. Newton was also suspended last February and had to miss the final three games of the season.

Sophomore center Ebuka Izundu was added to the starting lineup Wednesday in place of Newton. The other starters were Bruce Brown, Davon Reed, Anthony Lawrence, and Kamari Murphy.

The Canes (16-8, 6-6 ACC) faced a tough test against the resurgent Yellow Jackets (15-10, 6-6 ACC), who this season have upset North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. The two teams are jockeying for position in the conference standings and eager to boost their resumes heading into March.

This story was originally published February 15, 2017 at 8:27 PM with the headline "Miami Hurricanes suspend starting guard Ja’Quan Newton."