Felix Okpara back on the injury report for No. 5 Tennessee's game at LSU

Tennessee junior center Felix Okpara is back on the SEC Injury Report, listed as probable for the Vols on Monday night, ahead of the LSU game Tuesday night at Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.

The Vols (22-5, 9-5 SEC), playing on the road for the fourth time in five games, are scheduled to tip-off against LSU (14-13, 3-11) at 9 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday on SEC Network. The Tigers listed forward Jalen Reed out on the injury report.

Okpara is dealing with a left knee issue. He was a partial participant in practice Monday at Food City Center in Knoxville.

Okpara was listed as questionable Friday night, ahead of Tennessee’s 77-69 win at Texas A&M, but was removed from the pregame injury report and started against the Aggies. He played 30 minutes in the win, finishing with four points and seven rebounds.

Okpara is dealing with an ankle/foot injury that initially happened in practice on February 10, the day before Tennessee’s 75-64 loss at Kentucky. He was listed as probable for the Kentucky game, playing 33 minutes against the Wildcats. He played 34 minutes against Vanderbilt last Saturday.

Felix Okpara this season: 7.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 24.9 minutes per game

Okpara is averaging 7.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 24.9 minutes per game, starting all 27 games this season. 

The Vols did not have a midweek game last week, giving banged up players a chance to rest.

“You’d like to give them rest obviously,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said before practice Friday, “but for us, with the injuries that we had, the ones that, whether it’s a calf strain, a big toe, those things that are hard to get right. A week won’t do it, but it helps and I think, hopefully it’s helped us as we get back into it now.”

Tennessee rallied from down 16 points in the first half against Vanderbilt last Saturday at Food City Center to win 81-76. Igor Milicic Jr. was listed as probable on the Friday night injury report before that game due to a calf strain.

Barnes said after the win over Vanderbilt that Milicic had not practiced during the week leading up to the game, which also included the loss at Kentucky.

“I think he’s all right,” Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark said of Milicic on Monday. “He seems like he’s been progressing, getting through it. He’s been getting treatment, but it’s not bothering too bad.”

Tennessee down to nine scholarship players available

The injury bug initially bit the Vols in November when sophomore forward JP Estrella had season-ending foot surgery and sophomore wing Cam Carr had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. Carr transferred out of the program on December 23, landing at Baylor last month. 

Both senior point guard Zakai Zeigler and Milicic missed the 64-44 win over Florida on February 1, with Zeigler out with a right knee injury and Milicic ruled out due to an illness. Both players returned for the follow game, a win over Missouri.

Tennessee returns home to host No. 6 Alabama on Saturday at Food City Center. The Vols close the regular-season schedule with a road game at Ole Miss on March 5 and Senior Day against South Carolina on March 8 in Knoxville.

The Vols did not have a midweek game last week, leading up the win at Texas A&M.

“It was good to refresh,” Clark said. “Honestly, even for the guys, it’s not so much the physical load when you talk about getting a break in the middle of the year. It’s really the mental and the emotional.”