Prior to Saturday’s game against Utah State, Penny Hardaway said that Zach Davis and Hasan Abdul Hakim were both suspended for violating team rules following the loss against North Texas. Both players were with the team in Denton on Thursday, but neither made the trip with the team for the non-conference game against the Aggies.
It’s been an up-and-down season for both players, and both have been out of the lineup recently for different reasons. Abdul Hakim has missed five straight games recovering from an illness, while Davis missed the two wins against UAB and Charlotte due to a coach’s decision before playing 24 minutes against North Texas.
Davis has struggled to find consistency throughout most of the season, but he put together some nice games in December and was named the conference player of the week after averaging 16.5 points and 11 rebounds against New Orleans and Baylor. For the season, Davis is averaging 7.2 points and four rebounds in 22 games, but his averages have dropped since the start of conference play.
The South Carolina transfer has only averaged six points over the last five games, and he has made some mistakes on the defensive end of the court as well. Against Tulane, Davis was out of position and let Rowan Brumbaugh to get an easy go-ahead layup to closing seconds to win the game, which resulted in Davis sitting for the next two games.
Abdul Hakim missed the first five games due to an injury and an illness, and he struggled to get going in his first few games back. The UT-Rio Grange Valley transfer’s best stretch of the season was against Louisville and Vanderbilt when he averaged 15.5 points in the two losses.
The guard has only scored double-digit points four times this season, and he hasn’t played in a game since finishing with two points, four rebounds and four turnovers in a loss against Wichita State.
It’s unclear if or when the two will return to the roster, and it will be interesting to see how it affects Hardaway’s rotations tonight against Utah State. In addition to Davis and Abdul Hakim, Quante Berry didn’t make the trip due to a concussion.