Rick Barnes did not have an update on the freshman year Jaden Springer and his injured left ankle after No. 7 Tennessee’s 71-63 loss to Alabama on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Springer finished within five minutes with three points and a rebound and left the game halfway through the first half after equalizing his left ankle.
“I only asked for one,” Barnes said on the radio when asked for an update on Springer’s health. “I do not know anything about it. I think it was his ankle. ‘
Later, a Tennessee spokesman after the game described Springer as “day-to-day” with a single sprain. The Vols (7-1, 1-1 SEC) present Arkansas (9-1, 1-1) in Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday (19:00 Eastern Time; TV: ESPN2).
Repetitions showed how Springer ended up at the foot of an Alabama defender, with about 9:30 in the first half after he shot a jumper into 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 percent from the field (21-66) and 19.0 percent from the 3-point line (4-21) and finished with just seven assistants. There were nine missed free throws, out of 26 attempts.
Springer had 17:18 left in the first half. He passed in his second possession, a jumper to put the Vols ahead at 16:35.
Tennessee got 16 points and seven rebounds from Victor Bailey are 34 minutes. Santiago Vescovi Had 13 points and freshmen Keon Johnson Scored 11 points from the bench.
Barnes was asked after the game what the Vols should do offensively better if Springer is eliminated.
‘I’m going to take a good look at it,’ he said, ‘maybe change the setup, do some things with it. Even John Fulkerson, as far as I’m concerned, guys can take his minutes. He’s been around long enough. He must bring more than he brought today. ”
Fulkerson finished with seven points and five rebounds in 26 minutes, going 2-for-5 off the field and 3-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Springer, the former five-star prospect, scored 13 points in Missouri on Wednesday when Tennessee won after a 73-53 victory. He has scored double figures in five of his previous six games.
“We miss him a lot,” Josiah-Jordan James said Saturday night. ‘He’s definitely a talented first-year student we have, especially on both sides. We definitely miss him a lot. But I talked to him, he’s comfortable. Hopefully we don’t miss him too much anymore.
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At the start of Saturday, Springer averaged 11.7 points – equal to John Fulkerson as Tennessee’s second leading scorer – in 20.6 minutes per game. Through the first six games, he made 7 of 10 three-point attempts and shot 56.0 percent from the field (28-50).
Springer is part of the busy backdrop in Tennessee, with Bailey, Vescovi and James sharing minutes.
“It really is a next man-up mentality,” James said. “We really wish he was out there, but we’re preparing guys. We go up against each other every day … we know all five guys who are on the track will be prepared. ”