No. 19 Tennessee Basketball removed starting center Felix Okpara from the pregame SEC Availability Report on Saturday afternoon before the SEC opener at No. 18 Arkansas. Okpara was listed as probable Friday night while dealing with a bruise. Specifics of the injury situation have not been made known.
The Vols (10-3) and Razorbacks (10-3) are set for a 3 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN2 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Arkansas did not list any players on the availability report Friday night. Tennessee junior forward Cade Phillips was listed as out after he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last month.
Felix Okpara worked on the side during Friday afternoon’s practice
Okpara, the 6-foot-11 senior, worked on the side doing individual work during much of Friday afternoon’s practice at Food City Center.
Okpara is averaging 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 24.8 minutes per game. He had nine points, five rebounds, four blocks and two steals in the 105-54 win over South Carolina State Tuesday night in Knoxville.
He had a season-high 20 points against Rice on November 17 and a season-high 11 rebounds against Northern Kentucky on November 8. He also had four blocks against North Florida on November 12.
“I think Felix, when he’s locked in, is the best post defender in the country,” Barnes said Tuesday night, “with how he can guard both the perimeter and around the rim.”
Tennessee added post depth during offseason
Tennessee has added post depth, even with the loss of Phillips, after adding two bigs during the offseason. Okpara splits time down low with Vanderbilt transfer forward Jaylen Carey, redshirt sophomore JP Estrella and freshman DeWayne Brown.
Estrella, who was out last season after undergoing foot surgery, is averaging 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game, ahead of 9.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game for Carey. Brown, a former four-star recruit, is averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game.
Carey had his third double-double of the season in the win over South Carolina State, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“There’s so much more left in his tank,” Barnes said of Carey on Friday. “We watch him every day and there’s just so much more. I mean, he can be so much better as a player and he’s made really good strides … I know he wants to get there and I think he’ll working to get there. Because he does want to be good.
“He really wants to be an impactful player and he has been. But there’s a level that I think he can get to. And I think he will.”