Tennessee forward questionable to return against Saint Peter's with right leg injury
Tennessee basketball sophomore forward Tobe Awaka is questionable to return to Thursday night’s first round game against Saint Peter’s with a right leg injury. The injury is “not considered serious,” according to a Tennessee spokesperson.
The Vols led the Peacocks 46-20 at halftime and extended the lead to 30 in the opening minutes of the second half. Awaka had eight points and four rebounds in eight minutes off the bench in the first half.
He remained on the Tennessee bench early in the second half appearing to work on the upper part of his right leg. Awaka is averaging 5.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 12.9 minutes off the bench this season.
Jonas Aidoo and Dalton Knecht both scored 13 points in the first half. Zakai Zeigler had five points and six assists as Tennessee built its lead to as much as 29 in the opening half.
Aidoo was 5-for-6 from the field in the first half and Knecht went 5-for-8, including 2-for-4 at the 3-point line, while adding five rebounds of his own.
Aidoo played just 12 minutes in the first half and briefly went in the tunnel by the Tennessee bench after falling hard on a foul on a dunk attempt midway through the first half.
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Tennessee is looking to advance to a second-round matchup on Saturday against No. 7 Texas, which beat No. 10 Colorado State in the first game Thursday night at the Spectrum Center.
It would be the third straight season Tennessee and Texas have played.
Rick Barnes spent 17 years at Texas before parting ways with the school in 2015 and getting hired only days later at Tennessee. He took the Longhorns to the Final Four in 2003, to the Elite Eight in 2006 and 2008 and to Sweet Sixteens in 2002 and 2004.
Barnes on Saturday will be looking to lead the Vols to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time since 2019. Texas won 52-51 in the Big 12-SEC Challenge in Austin in 2022 and Tennessee won 82-71 when the Longhorns made the return trip to Knoxville last season.
Tennessee fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi said on Sunday night after the NCAA Tournament bracket was set that the Vols noticed Texas as a possible opponent in the second round.
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