Rick Barnes says Jaden Springer is available to play against Arkansas

Rick Barnes delivered some good news on Tuesday while previewing Tennessee’s upcoming matchup against Arkansas, confirming that standout freshman Jaden Springer is going to be just fine.

Springer rolled his ankle against Alabama in the opening minutes and never returned. Tennessee’s offense could have really used his efforts, as they struggled all the way to the finish line and ended up taking their first loss of the season.

With a tough matchup coming tonight against Arkansas, it sounds like the Volunteers will be getting Springer back.

“He didn’t work out yesterday but he was on the floor today and did pretty much what everybody else did,” Barnes said. When Barnes was asked directly if Springer would be available against Arkansas, he responded with a simple ‘yes.’

Springer is averaging over ten points per game so far this season. Though the sample size is small, Springer has been Tennessee’s best shooter so far, connecting on 7-10 shots from three-point range.

Barnes teased lineup changes following Tennessee’s poor effort against the Tide on Saturday — now we’ll see if he takes any action. Springer’s injury may complicate that a bit, and it will be interesting to see if he’s full strength from the jump tonight.