Will Duke Miles and Frankie Collins Play Against Missouri? – Sports Illustrated

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NASHVILLE—Duke Miles and Frankie Collins are out as Vanderbilt travels to Missouri for a Wednesday-night tilt in Columbia, per the SEC Availability Report. 
This is the fifth-consecutive game that the pair will miss and the sixth game in total that Vanderbilt will be without each of them. Now it will have another test without the two guards. 
Miles is Vanderbilt’s second-leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points as well as 4.3 assists per game. Defensively, Miles has been disruptive all season and recorded seven steals in Vanderbilt’s win against Mississippi State–which was the most a Vanderbilt player has recorded in a game since James Strong hit the same number in 1998. 
“Haven’t seen him play much but I do enjoy watching him and Tyler [Tanner] in the backcourt defensively,” Strong told Vandy on SI via text message after that game. “Reminds me of myself and Atiba Prater. I really appreciate the intensity, competitiveness, and pride he plays with on the defensive end. His anticipation and feel defensively are elite.” 
Miles is sixth in the country in steals and is the leader in steals at power-five schools at the time of his injury. He hasn’t played since as a result of a knee injury that required him to get clean-up surgery, though. 
The Vanderbilt guard has played just 18 games this season, but is an off-the-bounce scorer that is as dynamic as anyone else on Vanderbilt’s roster. Miles is nationally ranked in six efficiency of KenPom’s individual efficiency categories. 
Byington was bold enough to make a prediction in regard to Miles’ status after Vanderbilt’s win over Texas A&M on Saturday. 
“Duke’s attacking his rehab. He’s doing workouts and things like that. He’s competitive. He wants to get back as being a great teammate. I think we’ll have him back soon,” Byington said. “It’s hard to give a timetable, but I think within a week or two for sure.”
Byington wasn’t quite as optimistic about Collins–who has played in just nine games this season as a result of a meniscus injury that has held him out since prior to Vanderbilt’s win at Wake Forest. The initial timeline in regard to Collins’ injury was four-to-six weeks, but it’s been over eight weeks since the injury and Collins has still yet to return to the floor. The indication is that Collins doesn’t intend to medically redshirt, but the setbacks in his recovery as well as the vague explanations as to why he’s been sidelined for so long have made Vanderbilt’s fanbase restless. 
“Toughen Up Frankie!” A fan yelled at Collins after Vanderbilt’s loss to Oklahoma a few Saturdays ago. 
“Frankie’s still doing his rehab,” Byington said that day. “He’s still working. It’s hard to give a timetable. I wish it was closer. It was rehab after surgery they said four to six weeks, and we’re at seven now. So, maybe there’s something there holding him back, but we’re not giving up on him.” 
Byington has since said that Collins has switched his rehab program. Collins posted a picture from a training table on Monday that appeared to be a positive update.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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