Tennessee basketball on Saturday added senior center Felix Okpara to the pregame SEC Availability Report before the Auburn game. Okpara is a game-time decision while dealing with a left calf issue.

Both freshman guard Troy Henderson and junior power forward Jaylen Carey have been removed from the availability report and will be available to play in game against Auburn on Saturday at Food City Center.

Tennessee (14-6, 4-3 SEC) and Auburn (14-7, 5-3) are scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.

Okpara in 20 games this season is averaging 6.8 points and 5.9 rebounds in a career-high 26.5 minutes per game. He six points and a game-high 11 rebounds in the 86-85 win at Georgia on Wednesday, starting and playing 35 minutes, and played 34 minutes in the win at Alabama Saturday, finishing with five points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

Henderson injured his left shoulder in practice last week and Carey injured his left knee in the second half of Tennessee’s win at Alabama on Saturday. Henderson returned to practice on Friday afternoon after missing Tennessee’s previous two games.

Jaylen Carey ‘was limited some’ in Tennessee’s win at Georgia

Carey played 11 minutes off the bench at Georgia, scoring one point on grabbing three rebounds while going 0-for-4 from the floor.

“I think (Carey) was limited some (at Georgia),” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said before practice on Friday. “There was a little bit of swelling there, but he felt like he still wanted to go.”

Tennessee beat Georgia 86-85 in overtime Wednesday at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. The game was initially scheduled for Tuesday but was pushed back a day due to winter weather.

In 15 games this season Henderson is averaging 2.5 points and 1.6 assists in 10.3 minutes per game off the bench. He’s shooting 31.7% from the field, 31.6% from the 3-point line and has an effective field-goal percentage of 46.3%.

Henderson played a season-high 22 minutes in the double-overtime win over Texas A&M on January 13.

Without Henderson available, Tennessee senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie played 38 minutes in the win at Alabama Saturday and another 41 in the overtime win at Georgia Wednesday. 

“Troy is a super good player,” Gillespie said on Friday. “He can obviously help take some toll off of me on the ball. Him coming back is definitely big.”

Vols ‘have confidence’ in freshman guard Troy Henderson

Outside of Gillespie and Bishop Boswell, Tennessee’s guard options are currently limited. Amaree Abram played three minutes off the bench at Georgia and 10 at Alabama, while Ethan Burg did not play at Georgia and played only one minute at Alabama.

Barnes said “it’s important” that Tennessee’s other guards be able to take some pressure off Gillespie — and important that he takes some pressure off himself. 

“I think Ja’Kobi’s got to quit putting so much on his shoulders, too,” Barnes said. “I think Bishop can do some of that. But we have confidence in Troy. And he was moving in the right direction. But we’ve still got to have them all, there’s no question about it. So that will continue to be a big thing going forward.”