Rick Barnes says Josiah-Jordan James sprained his ankle

No. 6 Tennessee suffered a loss to Vanderbilt on a buzzer-beater on Wednesday night, but the Volunteers might have lost someone even more significant during the game.

In the final minute of play, star Josiah-Jordan James seemed to turn his ankle.

He was helped off the floor by a Tennessee staffer and big man teammate Uros Palvsic and coach Rick Barnes confirmed the injury after the game.

“He sprained his ankle,” Barnes said. “We’ll see how it is.”

James has been one of the team’s key pieces, providing a very well-rounded presence for the Volunteers in the backcourt.

In the 15 games he’s played in so far this season, James has averaged 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals. So the Volunteers will be without a healthy chunk of production if he misses any extended period of time.

Earlier in the season, a knee injury limited James with the Volunteers.

Josiah-Jordan James bringing confidence to Vols

Before the Vanderbilt game, Josiah-Jordan James was coming off one of his best outings of the season, with a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double against Auburn.

James discussed his confidence level following the 46-43 win over the Tigers.

“I would just credit my preparation; credit the work that I put in before practice, after practice,” James said. “Whether it’s making shots around the perimeter or just going form shooting, I feel like I can get to my spot. My teammates have given me the ultimate confidence when I get the ball within the arc to raise up above defenders. So it’s just the confidence thing that I have in myself and that my teammates give me.”

Tennessee will be back in action and looking to bounce back on Saturday with a 6 p.m. ET home date with Missouri. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.