Igor Milicic Jr. is out for Tennessee basketball against Florida with flu-like symptoms.
The No. 8 Vols (17-4, 4-4 SEC) are down to seven available scholarship players against the No. 6 Gators (18-2, 5-2) on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) at Food City Center.
Guard Zakai Zeigler is also out against the Gators with a right knee injury. He was injured late in the first half against Kentucky on Tuesday. He returned to play all 20 second-half minutes
Milicic did not practice Friday due to illness. He was listed as probable on the Friday SEC injury report then upgraded to available two hours before tipoff, but his status changed as he did not go through warmups. The 6-foot-10 forward is averaging 10.4 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds.
Darlinstone Dubar and Jordan Gainey are starting in place of Milicic and Zeigler, respectively. Bishop Boswell and Cade Phillips are the only reserves.
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The Vols opened the season with 11 scholarship players. Sophomore forward J.P. Estrella had season-ending foot surgery in November and sophomore guard Cam Carr elected to leave the team in late December, dropping that number to nine and leaving Tennessee susceptible to Saturday’s situation.
Tennessee lost 73-43 to Florida on Dec. 7, its first loss this season after opening 14-0 for the second time in program history.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
Tennessee basketball fans were hit with disappointing news as it was announced that Igor Milicic Jr will be out for the upcoming game against Florida. This injury adds to the team’s growing list of setbacks, as they continue to navigate through a challenging season.
With Milicic Jr sidelined, the team will have to rely on their remaining roster to step up and fill the void. It will be a tough challenge for the players, but they have shown resilience and determination in previous games.
Despite the setback, Tennessee fans are hopeful that the team will come together and put up a strong performance against Florida. The players have been working hard in practice and are ready to give it their all on the court.
As fans eagerly await the outcome of the game, they will be showing their support for the team and cheering them on from the sidelines. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for Milicic Jr and a successful game for the Tennessee basketball team. Go Volunteers! #TennesseeBasketball #InjuryUpdate #GoVols
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