NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Volunteers might not be facing just one All-Southeastern Conference basketball player when they take on Georgia today at the league tournament.
The Bulldogs could be back at full strength if forward Yante Maten is able to play after missing the past four games due to a knee injury. The All-SEC selection moved around pretty well during Georgia’s practice Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena.
“Hopefully if he responds well tonight,” Bulldogs coach Mark Fox said, “we’ll have a chance to play him some.”
Maten said after practice he felt “pretty good” as he went through the light workout with his team, though he admitted was moving “slower than I would like to be going” due to the large metal brace on his right leg.
The 6-foot-8 junior is averaging 17.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season despite recording no stats in the Feb. 18 game against Kentucky, when he sprained his knee in the opening minutes. He clearly didn’t look 100 percent Wednesday, making how much he could play or contribute an unknown.
