J.P. Estrella is out with a left foot injury for Tennessee basketball against Austin Peay on Sunday.
The Vols sophomore forward dealt with a lingering foot injury throughout the offseason and is day-to-day. He played through an ankle injury in UT’s season-opening win against Gardner-Webb. Estrella had a career-high eight points against Montana on Wednesday. He is averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game.
No. 9 Tennessee (3-0) likely has nine available scholarship players against the Govs (3-0) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Senior guard Darlinstone Dubar has missed the past three games while dealing with a personal matter and has been slowly returning to action.
Sophomore forward Cade Phillips will contribute at the five-spot behind starter Felix Okpara with Estrella sidelined.
J.P. Estrella injury update: Vols forward out with foot injury
Estrella averaged 1.6 points and 0.8 rebounds as a freshman last season. He impressed against Purdue and 7-foot-4 All-American Zach Edey in UT’s season-ending loss in the Elite Eight. Estrella played a season-high 15 minutes against the Boilermakers, topping his previous high of 12 against Norfolk State on Jan. 2. He scored a season-high seven points twice, including against Florida on Jan. 16.
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Tennessee heads to the Bahamas to play in the Baha Mar Championship starting against Virginia on Thursday. It will play either Baylor or St. John’s on Friday in its second game in the tournament.
This story will be updated.
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.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: J.P. Estrella injury update: Tennessee forward out against Austin Peay
