JP Estrella out with foot injury for Tennessee basketball in Baha Mar Championship

JP Estrella will not play for Tennessee basketball in the Baha Mar Championship due to a left foot injuryannounced UT on Thursday.

The Vols sophomore forward has been considered day-to-day since he did not play against Austin Peay on Sunday. He is joined by Cam Carr on the injured list. Carr, a sophomore guard, will miss four to six weeks with a left thumb injury suffered against the Reigns.

No. 9 Tennessee (4-0) plays its first Baha Mar Championship game against Virginia (3-0) on Thursday (9:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network). UT meets either no. 15 Baylor (4-1) or no. 21 St. John’s (4-1) on Friday in its second game of the tournament in Nassau, Bahamas. Baylor beat St. John’s 99-98 in double overtime on a Jeremy Roach 3-pointer in the opener Thursday.

JP Estrella out for Tennessee with left foot injury

Estrella dealt with a foot injury in the offseason. He played in the first three games before sitting out Sunday.

Vols coach Rick Barnes said the injury is “concerning” and emphasized that Tennessee was looking for a new plan to address the injury.

Barnes stressed in September at his annual golf outing in support of the Emerald Youth Foundation that UT should be careful with Estrella because the injury “is (in) an area you can’t mess around with” and “it can really become a situation where you want don’t have it.”

The 6-foot-11, 241-pound Estrella had a career-high eight points against Montana on Nov. 13. He is averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game. match.

Estrella averaged 1.6 points and 0.8 rebounds as a freshman last season.

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Could Darlinstone Dubar Help Vols in Baha Mar Championship?

Without Carr and Estrella, Tennessee has eight scholarship players who have played this season.

Darlinstone Dubar could be the number nine if he returns to the Vols and provides much-needed depth. The senior guard has yet to play this season while dealing with a personal matter.

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The 6-6 Hofstra transfer was expected to contribute to the fourth-place finish this season. He can fill minutes after Igor Milicic Jr. in that spot, which would free up Cade Phillips to contribute in the fifth spot behind starter Felix Okpara with Estrella sidelined. 6-10 Milicic can be used in the interior at times.

With Dubar returning, he gives Tennessee more options and significant depth while Estrella is sidelined.

The Vols have a proven group of guards in seniors Jordan Gainey, Chaz Lanier, Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler. All four play at least 25.5 minutes per game. match.

Freshman guard Bishop Boswell could be pushed into more playing time behind Zeigler, which would allow Gainey to play more minutes off the ball.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him at X @By Mike Wilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription which gives you access to it all.

This article originally appeared on the Knoxville News Sentinel: JP Estrella injury update: Tennessee advances in Baha Mar Championship