Zach Auguste Suspended: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Notre Dame men's basketball team's spectacular 2014-15 season hit a speed bump Wednesday as star forward Zach Auguste was suspended. He returned from suspension just three days later on Saturday.

Continue for updates.

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Auguste Reinstated for Saturday's Game vs. Miami

Saturday, Jan. 17

Jeff Goodman of ESPN provided an update on Auguste's status:

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Notre Dame junior big man Zach Auguste, who missed Wednesday night's win against Georgia Tech due to academics, will return for Saturday's game against Miami.

[...]

The school announced that he has returned to the team on Saturday just prior to the home game against Miami.

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Andy Katz of ESPN provided more details on the decision:

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Auguste Suspended for Academic Reasons

Wednesday, Jan. 14

According to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman, the suspension is for academic reasons. The junior big man will certainly miss the Fighting Irish's tilt with Georgia Tech Wednesday, but his status is unclear beyond that.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey revealed he is unsure if Auguste will play again this season, according to The Associated Press, via Yahoo Sports.

However, Brey told ESPN's Andy Katz that Auguste has not been suspended by the program:

Per Tom Noie of The South Bend Tribune, more will be known about Auguste's situation following the game against the Yellow Jackets:

One potential sign that the door is open for a return is the fact that he has not been kicked out of the school, according to ESPN.com's Matt Fortuna:

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Zach Auguste is still enrolled at #NotreDame, per spokesman. That was not the case with all previous academic-related ND suspensions.

— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) January 14, 2015"

Auguste is a driving force behind Notre Dame's 15-2 start, which has allowed it to ascend to the No. 12 ranking in the country. The 6'10" star is second on the team in scoring with over 16 points per game and has averaged better than six rebounds per contest as well.

Per Brian Hamilton of SI.com, the Irish don't have anyone on the roster who can step up and replace what Auguste brings to the table:

If Auguste is forced to miss a significant amount of time, ESPN.com's Andy Katz foresees a major downturn for the team:

A case can be made for Auguste being one of the most improved players in the nation, which is why Notre Dame has taken such a big step forward.

Playing without him will undoubtedly say a lot about who the Irish are as a team moving forward.

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