Santiago Vescovi out for No. 13 Tennessee against Alcorn State
No. 13 Tennessee will be without senior guard Santiago Vescovi for Sunday’s game against Alcorn State. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. Eastern Time start and can be streamed on SEC Network+ or ESPN+.
Vescovi is out after missing practice on Friday due to a shoulder sprain in his left, shooting shoulder. Senior wing Josiah-Jordan James is expected to play, barring any setbacks in pregame.
Vescovi had 16 points in 33 minutes against McNeese State Wednesday in Tennessee’s 76-40 win at Thompson-Boling Arena. He left late in the game holding his shoulder.
James, who has missed the last four games due to knee soreness, leads the Vols in scoring at 13.7 points per game and in rebounding, at 6.0. Vescovi is second in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Vescovi leads Tennessee in assists (3.4), steals (2.5) and minutes (32.3) through seven games and is third in rebounding (5.0).
Vols vs. Alcorn State: How to watch, stream, listen
Tipoff Time: 6 p.m. ET, Sunday
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena
Streaming: SEC Network+ (Play-by-play Andy Brock; Analyst — Steve Hamer). ESPN App or WatchESPN.com
Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast (Bob Kesling – play-by-play – Bert Bertelkamp, analyst) can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee. The game can be heard on Satellite Radio on SiriusXM Channel 111 or Channel 962 on the SiriusXM App.
SEC Network+ is not a TV channel, but is a complementary online addition providing content and programming online. Fans can access content on SEC Network+ through the ESPN app or ESPN.com/watch. Viewers must have a cable or satellite subscription and log-in info to gain access to the SEC Network+ stream.
Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James expected to return
The status for James is has been day-to-day. Rick Barnes said before practice on Tuesday that James will return to the floor when he feels he’s ready to do so.
“It’s really up to him,” Barnes said. “We want him to be 100 percent healthy when he’s ready to play. He did do a little bit yesterday, but only he knows where he really is. Mentally I think he’s got to feel good about it, when he’s ready to go.”
The Vols won three games in three days in the Bahamas without James, beating Butler, USC and Kansas. James did not dress for the Butler game. He warmed up before both the USC and Kansas games before he was held out.
He warmed up before the McNeese State game with his teammates on Wednesday but did not dress for the game.
“We’re leaving it up to him,” Barnes said. “Again, it’s been made clear to him, we want him to feel comfortable. Certainly we’re not going to ask anybody to play when they don’t feel (comfortable).
“We just want him to feel good about himself. As much as he’s put into the program, he’ll know when he’s ready.”
