Tennessee basketball center Felix Okpara is out for the Vols’ Tuesday night matchup against Ole Miss according to the SEC Availability Report. It’s the second straight game that Okpara will miss with a left calf injury. The senior center had previously started all 58 games during his time at Tennessee.
Okpara suffered the left calf injury in Tennessee’s 86-85 win at Georgia last week. He finished the Georgia game but was a game-time decision and ended up not playing in Tennessee’s 77-69 win over Auburn Saturday.
The 6-foot-11 center did not participate in Tennessee’s Monday practice open to the media. He rode a stationary bike off to the side and then did some individual shooting drills after the practice ended.
On the season, Okpara is averaging 6.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 26.6 minutes per game. The Vols have a deep front line, but Okpara brings length and rim protection that the rest of Tennessee’s front court lacks.
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Tennessee’s trio of big men — JP Estrella, Jaylen Carey and DeWayne Brown — played well against Auburn Saturday combining for 31 points and 17 rebounds in the victory. They have a good chance to impact the game against an Ole Miss team that ranks 14th in the SEC in offensive rebounding and 15th in defensive rebounding.
The Vols are the best offensive rebounding team in the country and dominated both Georgia, 52-27, and Texas A&M, 60-35, on the glass.
Tennessee has won three straight games and boasts a 15-6 (5-3 SEC) record entering Tuesday’s matchup against Ole Miss. Tennessee is back in the AP Top 25 following the strong stretch and faces a manageable schedule over the next two weeks.
On the contrary, Ole Miss is struggling ahead of its trip to Knoxville. The Rebels are 11-10 (3-5 SEC) on the season and have lost three straight games.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Ole Miss is at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night. ESPN2 is broadcasting the matchup.
