Denver Jones injury update: Bruce Pearl reveals encouraging news on Auburn guard

Auburn senior guard Denver Jones injured his ankle during the first half of the Tigers’ 94-78 win over Kentucky and did not return. After the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl provided a brief, yet positive initial update on the Tigers guard.

“Good news, it was X-rayed, bone bruise, so he’s going to recover from it,” Pearl said. “But he’s a tough kid. I was worried he had a bone break or something.”

Pearl noted that the injury is not season-ending, but was unable to provide an accurate timetable for his return. Jones ultimately finished the game playing eight minutes, scoring four points and logging two rebounds before leaving the game.

Auburn star Johni Broome was held to just nine points, eight of which came in the second half, and six rebounds during the contest, but it was the trio of Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford that scored 73 points on their own — five points shy of Kentucky’s entire scoring total.

However, fans across the country weren’t able to watch the final stretch of the second half after the ABC broadcast experienced major technical difficulties inside Rupp Arena. KSR’s Matt Jones noted that there was a “major technical issue” outside of Rupp Arena that included the ABC broadcasting truck. It has reportedly “lost all power,” and that they are “trying to find backup power now.”

ABC was never able to restore the broadcast, and the station eventually moved on to the NHL regular season matchup between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, which was scheduled to air after the Auburn-Kentucky game.

The win improves Auburn to 27-2 overall, and 15-1 in SEC play. The Tigers will next travel to No. 12 Texas A&M for a Tuesday night matchup in College Station. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN.

They will round out their regular season at home against No. 6 Alabama.

Whether Jones will be available for those upcoming matchups remains to be seen, but regardless of what happens during the final two-game stretch of the regular season, the Tigers have already locked up the SEC regular season championship outright after Saturday’s win inside Rupp Arena. They secured the title after Tennesse‘s buzzer-beating victory over the Crimson Tide in Knoxville.

That means they’ll be the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, and many experts agree that the Tigers would be the top overall seed in March Madness if the season ended today.