Georgia Tech Suspends Tadric Jackson, Josh Okogie for Accepting Benefits

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets basketball team is reportedly being proactive with player discipline while it waits to hear from the NCAA.

On Thursday, Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported guards Tadric Jackson and Josh Okogie will not travel with the team for its Nov. 10 season-opener against UCLA in Shanghai.

The school is withholding the players from competition after they "accepted preferential treatment, benefits or services in the form of apparel, meals and transportation," per Sugiura. "The school self-reported the violations and is awaiting the NCAA's ruling on the length of the suspension."

Sugiura noted Georgia Tech discovered Jackson received less than $525 in benefits, while Okogie saw less than $750.

According to Sugiura, NCAA guidelines say benefits between $400 and $700 often result in a suspension of 20 percent of the regular season, while more than $700 often results in a suspension of 30 percent of the regular season.

"While we never want to learn that NCAA rules violations have occurred, I applaud Coach (Josh) Pastner and our compliance staff for taking immediate action as soon as these violations came to light," Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury said in a statement, via Sugiura.

Jackson and Okogie are two important players for the Yellow Jackets, who are looking to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Okogie was Georgia Tech's leading scorer last season at 16.1 points per game behind 38.4 percent shooting from three-point range. He can also get involved on the boards from the backcourt as his 5.4 rebounds a night in 2016-17 evidenced.

Jackson, who is a senior, was the team's third-leading scorer last season at 12.1 points per game behind 32.5 percent shooting from three.

Georgia Tech was 21-16 last season, which was Pastner's first with the program. It may be hard-pressed in early-season action without the two playmakers with notable games against UCLA, Northwestern and Tennessee within the first month of action.