Santiago Vescovi illness: Rick Barnes expects Tennessee guard to be ready vs. Purdue

Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi did not play in Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup against Creighton. However, Vols head coach Rick Barnes expects Vescovi to return to action on Sunday against Purdue.

Barnes provided an update on Vescovi on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s Elite Eight showdown.

“He looked better today,” Rick Barnes said, according to Volquest. “He’s with us. We obviously won’t do much today, (we’ll see) more so tomorrow, when we get going. We expect him to be ready.”

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While Barnes is confident that Vescovi will be ready to go, the senior didn’t sound so sure.

Joe Rexrode reports that Vescovi’s status is still up in the air.

“Santiago Vescovi says he isn’t sure yet if he can go tomorrow,” Rexrode posted on Twitter. “Says he feels better and will see what he can do in practice today. The fact that he was in the locker room at all is a step forward.”

Santiago Vescovi has started all 34 games he has played in for the Vols this season. The Uruguay native is averaging 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and nearly 3 assists per game.

Santiago Vescovi has been battling the flu. It will be interested to see if he can go against the Boilermakers and what kind of impact he has on the game.

Rick Barnes on how Tennessee defeated Creighton, punching their ticket to the Elite Eight

Even without Vescovi, Tennessee held off Creighton in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

The Bluejays refused to go away in the second half, despite the Volunteers going on an impressive 18-0 run to stretch their margin to 55-39 with 13:51 left in the contest. Tennessee won 82-75, thanks to some impressive defense and a masterful performance from Dalton Knecht. Following the victory, Vols head coach Rick Barnes spoke with Evan Washburn on the court.

The second half featured two impressive runs, one by Tennessee (18-0) and then one by Creighton (20-7) to tighten the game up late. How did the Volunteers manage to hold off the Bluejays?

“Well, first of all, I thought both teams played their hearts out. I thought they gave max effort. Both teams went at it,” Barnes said. “We knew they would make a run. I mean, we obviously came out and great run there ourself. But they’re so well coached. And they just do so many schemes that are hard to guard. But again, I’m proud of our guys finding a way. We just beat an excellent basketball team.”