Tennessee Faces Frontcourt Setbacks as Okpara Ruled Out vs. Ole Miss, Phillips Out for Season
Tennessee basketball will be without senior forward Felix Okpara for Tuesday night’s SEC matchup against Ole Miss, as confirmed by the league’s official availability report released Monday. The Vols’ big man is battling a left calf injury that’s sidelined him for the first time in his Tennessee career - and only the second time in his entire college career.
Head coach Rick Barnes shed light on the situation after Saturday’s 77-69 win over Auburn, explaining that Okpara suffered the injury following the Vols’ game against Georgia.
“He has some calf problems,” Barnes said. “It was after the Georgia game - he really got kicked there or whatever. But it was a calf.”
Okpara was listed as a game-time decision ahead of the Auburn game but ultimately did not participate in warmups and appeared in street clothes on the bench. His absence snapped a streak of 64 consecutive starts, which included every game he had played since transferring to Tennessee. The only other game he’s missed in his college career came back in December 2023 while at Ohio State, when illness kept him out against New Orleans.
A key interior presence for the Vols, Okpara is averaging 6.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game this season. He’s shooting an efficient 58% from the field - and when you look at how he scores, the numbers tell the story: 177 of his 324 career field goals have been dunks.
That’s power, efficiency, and verticality rolled into one. His 222 career blocks rank third among all active Division I players, a testament to his defensive instincts and timing around the rim.
Tennessee, ranked No. 25 in the nation, enters Tuesday’s game at 15-6 overall and 5-3 in SEC play. Ole Miss, meanwhile, sits at 11-10 and 3-5 in the conference.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Cade Phillips Out for Season
The Vols are also navigating a longer-term loss in the frontcourt, with junior Cade Phillips officially out for the season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Tennessee announced back in December that Phillips had opted for the procedure after reinjuring the same left shoulder that had plagued him since last season. The injury initially occurred in January of last year and flared up again during summer workouts.
Phillips had tried to gut it out through the early part of the season, wearing a visible sleeve on his left arm to manage the pain and stability. But ultimately, the decision was made to shut things down and prioritize recovery.
“After a great deal of consideration and prayer, as well as consultation with my family, coaches and the UT medical staff, we've made the difficult decision for me to have season-ending shoulder surgery,” Phillips said in a statement on Instagram. “I pride myself in giving my all for Tennessee not just during games, but every single day. I battled through this injury as much as possible, but it reached a point where surgery is needed.”
Phillips started nine of Tennessee’s first 10 games this season, averaging 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in just under 17 minutes per game. He shot a strong 65.4% from the field, but the shoulder clearly limited him - particularly at the free throw line, where he went just 4-for-13. His 18 offensive rebounds were tied for third-most on the team, and his 11 blocks trailed only Okpara.
Head coach Rick Barnes praised Phillips for his toughness and commitment, even as the injury wore him down.
“We will sincerely miss having Cade on the court and he is certainly disappointed he won't be able to play the rest of the season, but it is essential he gets healthy,” Barnes said. “Cade did all he could to play through this injury as long as he could.
We love Cade and we'll do everything we can to support him. We know Cade will continue to help us this year, even from the sideline, because that is the type of person and teammate he is.”
What It Means for the Vols
With both Okpara and Phillips sidelined, Tennessee’s frontcourt depth is being tested at a crucial stretch in SEC play. Okpara’s shot-blocking and vertical finishing are hard to replicate, and Phillips brought energy, rebounding, and physicality off the bench. The Vols will need other bigs to step up - both defensively and on the glass - as they try to stay in the thick of the SEC race.
There’s still plenty of talent on this Tennessee roster, but make no mistake: these are significant losses. How the Vols adjust over the next few weeks could go a long way in determining their seeding come March.