Christian Sanders Suspended Indefinitely: Latest Details, Reaction on Stanford G

Stanford point guard Christian Sanders was suspended indefinitely Thursday by the school for a violation of team rules. 

Roxy Bernstein of ESPN reported the news. Sanders, a senior, is averaging 4.3 points, 2.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game this season.

"As a member of the Stanford men's basketball program, our student-athletes are held to a certain standard," Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said, per Palo Alto Online. "It is a privilege to represent Stanford University. We must hold Christian accountable for not meeting his obligation to our program."

The suspension could not come at a worse time for the Cardinal, who appeared to be peaking heading into the conference tournament. They are winners of four of their last five games, including a triumph over then-No. 11 Oregon. Dawkins pushed his team to back-to-back wins over UCLA and USC prior to Stanford's season-ending road games against Arizona State and Arizona.

Sanders has been a fixture in the starting lineup, albeit not the most effective cog. He's shooting just 30.2 percent from the floor this season, including a 19.4 percent rate from beyond the arc. Dawkins played him a combined 30 minutes in the team's two most recent wins, with Dorian Pickens impressing off the bench.

Pickens likely moves into the starting lineup while Sanders is suspended. Junior Malcolm Allen will also see more playing time.

While Sanders' departure shortens the bench, it's not clear how much this will actually hurt the on-court product. Pickens is the team's third-leading scorer at 12.1 points per game and hits a solid 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. Allen hasn't gotten many minutes or shots this season, but he's played efficiently when given an opportunity. 

Stanford is sitting on the outside of the bubble heading into the stretch run and will need to close its regular season strong to have a real shot on Selection Sunday. Sanders is at the very least becoming a distraction, even if his suspension isn't a huge loss. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.