Rick Barnes updates injury to John Fulkerson

Super senior for the Tennessee Volunteers Men’s Basketball team, John Fulkerson saw just six minutes of action in the team’s Tuesday night victory over the Missouri Tigers. It was the six-year senior’s second straight game with limited playing time, which lead reporters to wonder about his status moving forward. On Tuesday, Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes addressed the lack of Fulkerson’s playing time as of late.

During the press conference, one reporter doubled down on asking whether Fulkerson was ok and able to play; to which Barnes had a simple answer.

“Well, he took it, had a little hip pointer and he played. And you know, he didn’t feel like he could go anymore tonight, so we you know we were fine with that,” said Barnes.

Fulkerson does not jump off the board on the stat sheet for Tennessee, but his importance to the team is immeasurable. For the Volunteers and Barnes, his six years of college basketball experience allows him to be the coach on the floor; calling out defenses, plays, and helping to break down their opponents night in and out.

Tennessee might have gotten away with not having him on the floor against Missouri, but he’ll be needed for their next game against the top-ranked Auburn Tigers.

Predicting Tennessee’s next four games

Vol fans, rejoice! Tennessee has been on a roll and playing strong basketball heading down the stretch of the season. Previously, the Volunteers rode a five-game winning streak before falling to the Arkansas Razorbacks 58-48 Saturday. Now ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and appear to be a legitimate contender for the SEC championship – and a team that could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. 

After picking up a huge 76-63 win over then-No. 4 ranked Kentucky last Tuesday, Tennessee followed that up with its stinker at No. 18 Arkansas. For the Volunteers’ sake, hopefully that’s the last time they lay an egg this season. If they do – it’ll come back at haunt them, and potentially end their season.

In terms of KenPom, Tennessee’s final four regular season games have been predicted – and the numbers are in favor of the Volunteers. Here’s a look at how KenPom sees Rick Barnes’ club matching up in their next five outings, beginning Saturday on the road against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

KenPom’s predictions for Tennessee’s next four games:

1.) at Missouri, Tuesday, Feb. 22: The Volunteers are predicted to win 71-60, with a 84% chance…

For the complete set of predictions, check out On3’s Barkley Truax article.