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Vanderbilt basketball is likely getting a major boost ahead of Saturday’s rivalry matchup against Tennessee. Star guard Duke Miles is expected to return from injury, Commodores’ head coach Mark Byington told local media Friday.
Miles has missed Mississippi State’s last six games with a knee injury. Vanderbilt is 4-2 in those six games with its losses coming at home against Oklahoma and on the road at Missouri.
The 6-foot-2 shooting guard has been one of Vanderbilt’s top players this season. Miles is averaging 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and three rebounds in his 18 games played this season. He’s put up serious scoring numbers at an efficient rate, shooting 45.1% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range.
Miles ranks second on Vanderbilt in both points and assists per game. The trio of Miles, Tyler Tanner and Tyler Nickel makes up one of the SEC’s best backcourts. Tennessee’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Bishop Boswell and Nate Ament will have their hands full with the trio.
Tennessee basketball has some injury uncertainty themselves entering the rivalry game. Starting power forward JP Estrella is currently day-to-day with left foot soreness. Estrella missed the Vols’ game against Oklahoma Wednesday but did some five-on-five work in Friday’s practice open to the media.
The rivalry matchup has serious SEC Tournament seeding ramifications. Tennessee enters the matchup 9-4 in SEC play while Vanderbilt is 8-5. Both teams are competing to finish in the top four of the SEC standings and to earn the double-bye that comes with it in the SEC Tournament.
Vanderbilt basketball is currently 2.5-point favorites over Tennessee according to the DKSportsbook. The over/under is set at 148.5. Tipoff from Memorial Gymnasium is at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. Dave O’Brien, Cory Alexander and Dick Vitale are on the call for ESPN.
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