Nebraska will be without two of its best players when Indiana battles the Cornhuskers on Wednesday night.
Guards Dachon Burke and Cam Mack, both starters, are Nebraska’s second and third leading scorers at 12.2 and 12.0 points per game, respectively.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg indicated at a press conference on Tuesday that both players are not with the team for the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.
Mack leads the team in minutes played per game (34.8) along with assists (6.4) and turnovers (2.6), and he was second on the team with 4.5 rebounds per contest. Mack was named honorable mention All-Big Ten.
Burke averaged 28 minutes per game. Nebraska only has nine players on its roster that averaged at least 10 minutes per game this season, meaning the Cornhuskers will be severely shorthanded on Wednesday.
Mack averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 assists in the two meetings against Indiana this year. Those performances left Indiana head coach Archie Miller impressed.
“Cam Mack is one of the premier point guard passers, especially off ball screens, in the country,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, Burke averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two contests against IU.
Hoiberg announced on Saturday morning that Mack and Burke had both been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules.
Reports indicated that Lincoln police said Friday Mack had been cited for negligent driving and leaving the scene of an accident Wednesday.
Mack has been held out of the starting lineup three times this season for team rule violations and he missed the last two games of the regular season due to suspension.
Burke became the third Nebraska player to miss a game this season due to suspension. He announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the Nebraska program.
Jervay Green missed two games early in the season for a violation of team rules, including the first meeting with Indiana.
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