Tennessee basketball is down a pair of key players in its Thursday night matchup against Tennessee State. Both JP Estrella (left knee) and Bishop Boswell (left leg) are not warming up and will miss the instate matchup.
Neither Boswell nor Estrella participated in any team activities during Tennessee’s Thursday practice. Estrella rode on a stationary bike and did some stationary ball handling drills while Boswell shot off to the side. Both sophomores are day-to-day according to a UT spokesperson.
Estrella suffered a bone bruise late in the first half of Tennessee basketball’s win over Rice. He was bending down to grab a loose ball when a Rice player made an attempt to grab the basketball and pushed Estrella’s left leg back. He immediately grabbed his left leg and was in clear pain.
The sophomore big man limped off the floor with the help of two Tennessee staffers and went straight up the tunnel instead of going to the Vols’ bench. Estrella returned to the bench in the second half with a towel around his head and a bag of ice on his knee but did not return to the game.
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It’s currently unclear how much time Estrella is expected to miss but it is not a season-ending injury. Estrella has been a breakout star for Tennessee early this season, averaging 17.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists through the Vols’ first three games of the season.
Boswell has missed each of Tennessee’s last two games. He missed the North Florida game with a right foot injury that he suffered in the second half of Vols’ win over Northern Kentucky.
The 6-foot-3 guard returned to practice and suffered a left leg injury that sidelined him for Tennessee’s 91-66 win over Rice. A defensive stopper, Boswell is averaging 5.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and one assist in Tennessee’s first two games.
Tennessee’s matchup against TSU is its final tune up before they likely play six straight power five opponents. The Vols face Rutgers, Houston and one undecided opponent at the Players Era Festival next week in Las Vegas. Tennessee then faces Syracuse, Illinois and Louisville during the first half of December.
