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Rick barnes had no update on freshman care Jaden springer and his left ankle injured after Tennessee No.7’s 71-63 loss to Alabama on Saturday at the Thompson-Boling Arena.
Springer finished with three runs and a rebound in five minutes, leaving the game midway through the first half after appearing to roll his left ankle.
“I just asked for one,” Barnes said on post-game radio when asked for an update on Springer’s health. “I don’t know. I think it was his ankle.”
Later, a Tennessee spokesperson after the game described Springer as “day to day” with a sprained ankle. The Vols (7-1, 1-1 SEC) host Arkansas (9-1, 1-1) Wednesday (7 p.m. EST; TV: ESPN2) at the Thompson-Boling Arena.
Reruns showed Springer landed on an Alabama defenseman’s foot with around 9:30 a.m. left in the first half, after driving and shooting a jumper in the paint.
“Jaden would have thrived in a game like this,” Barnes said.
Tennessee’s offense struggled throughout the game. The Vols shot 31.8% from the field (21-66) and 19.0% from the 3-point line (4-21), finishing with just seven assists. There were nine missed free throws, out of 26 attempts.
Springer signed up with 17:18 left in the first half. He scored on his second possession, a jumper to give the Vols a 5-2 lead at 4:35 PM.
Tennessee had 16 points and seven rebounds from Victor Bailey in 34 minutes. Bishops of Santiago had 13 points and rookie Keon Johnson scored 11 points off the bench.
Barnes was asked after the game what the Vols should do better offensively if Springer is sidelined to move forward.
“I’m going to take a close look at it,” he said, “maybe change the alignment, do things with it. same John fulkerson, as far as I’m concerned, guys can take his minutes. It’s been around long enough. He must bring more than what he brought today.
Fulkerson finished with seven points and five rebounds in 26 minutes, going 2-5 on the field and 3-8 on the free throw line.
Springer, the former five-star prospect, scored 13 points at Missouri on Wednesday as Tennessee claimed a 73-53 victory. He has scored in double digits in five of his previous six games.
“We miss him a lot” Josiah-Jordan James said Saturday night. “He’s really a really talented freshman that we have, especially on both sides. We really miss him. But I spoke to him, he is in a good mood. I hope we won’t miss him for too long.
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Entering Saturday, Springer averaged 11.7 points – tied with John fulkerson as Tennessee’s second-leading scorer – in 20.6 minutes per game. In the first six games, he made 7 of 10 3-point attempts and shot 56.0% from the field (28-50).
Springer is part of a crowded Tennessee backcourt, with Bailey, Vescovi and James sharing the minutes.
“It’s really the next man’s mentality,” James said. “We really wish he was there, but we’ve got some prepared guys. We face each other every day … we know the five guys who are on the pitch will be ready.
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