Final Injury Report Ahead of Tennessee Basketball vs. Texas A&M

Tennessee is set to take on the Aggies, but both teams will be without a star player.

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes reacts during first half of an NCAA basketball at Steven C. O'Connell Center Exactek arena in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, January 10, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas A&M Aggies are set for one of the better matchups of the day, as both teams are looking to prove a point in this midweek-league game. This is one that has been viewed as a must-watch, but the Vols and the Aggies will both be without a star player.

Take a look.

Mackenzie Mgbako - OUT

Nov 25, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils guard Delkedric Holmes (2) looks to pass the ball as Texas A&M Aggies forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21) defends during the first half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Mgbako is done for the season, so this was expected for the contest. He is someone who didn't have much of a chance to do anything in his first season in the SEC, but he is proven prior to his SEC transfer when he played for Indiana, according to 12thman.com.

Prior to A&M

• Spent two seasons at Indiana, starting 31 of the team’s 32 games as a sophomore.
• Averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in his second season, scoring in double figures 19 times. 
• Put up a career-high 31 points against SIUE to begin the 2024-25 season. 
• Was named Big Ten co-Freshman of the Year, also earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team following the 2023-24 season. 
• Led all league freshmen averaging 12.2 points per game and sinking 92 free throws, making 33 starts for the Hoosiers. 
• Scored a season-high 24 points at Maryland and posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards at Illinois as a freshman. 
• Averaged 16.3 points and 9.2 rebounds as a senior at Roselle Catholic, helping his team win the NJSIAA Non-Public B State Title.
• Was a 2023 McDonald's All-American and a two-time NJ.com All-State First Team selection.

Cade Phillips - OUT

Tennessee forward Cade Phillips (12) shoots a free throw during a NCAA basketball game between Tennessee Volunteers and North Florida Ospreys at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn. on Nov. 12, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Phillips is also out with a season-ending injury that will keep him sidelined in this contest. Phillips was primed to have a huge season and was a starter when he went down. Without Phillips, things have felt a bit stiff at the big men positions.

Here is what he has done in the short time he had this season, along with what he has done in his best season (last year), according to utsports.com.

2025-2026

• VIDEO: "Everything Orange" podcast
• VIDEO: "Mike Keith Show" interview
• Announced on 12/8/25 as out for the remainder of the season due to surgery on a recurring left shoulder injury.
• Put up nine points and a career-high-tying nine rebounds, along with two blocks and an assist, versus North Florida (11/12/25).
• Earned the first start of his career versus Northern Kentucky (11/8/25) and scored the game's opening points just 14 seconds after tipoff.
• Appointed Tennessee's representative on the SEC Men's Basketball Leadership Council.

2024-2025

• Game-by-Game Statistics
• One of five players on the roster to see action in all 38 games and set a program single-season record, competing in a reserve role in each of them.
• Averaged 4.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 0.6 assists in 15.0 minutes per game, while shooting 63.0 percent (68-of-108) from the floor.
• Led the team in field-goal percentage (min. 10 FGA), plus ranked second in blocks and dunks (37), third in offensive rebounding (1.7) and fifth in rebounding.
• Placed No. 57 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (14.3) among players with at least 300 total minutes of action and No. 41 among those with 500-plus minutes.
• First—alone or with a teammate—Volunteer off the bench in 25 contests, second-most on the team.
• Led or co-led the team in blocks nine times, second-most on the roster, and in rebounds twice.
• Scored seven-plus points nine times, reaching double figures in six appearances and 15 once.
• Grabbed at least five rebounds in 12 outings, with nine of them in non-conference play (including three of four NCAA Tournament games), and had seven-plus twice.
• Blocked multiple shots on seven occasions, including four times in SEC play, with three-plus thrice and five once, plus had multiple assists six times, with three twice.
• Made at least five field goals four times, with six twice, and twice hit at least five free throws.
• Logged the highest single-game block total (five) by a Volunteer, tying for the third-best mark in the SEC, plus tied for the top single-game dunk mark (five) on the team.
• Totaled five points, six rebounds, two assists and one block in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 triumph versus UCLA (3/22/25).
• Put up six points and five rebounds in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 victory over Wofford (3/20/25), shooting 6-of-8 from the line to set career highs in both makes and attempts.
• Pulled down six rebounds, including a career-high-tying five on the offensive end, in his SEC Tournament debut, a victory against Texas (3/14/25).
• Amassed a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, tying a career best in makes, in the regular season finale versus South Carolina (3/8/25), posting a career-best five dunks and a adding a game-leading three blocks.
• Notched five points, three rebounds and a 3-of-4 free-throw clip at No. 15/18 Kentucky (2/11/25).
• Played a career-high 28 minutes and put up seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, three rebounds (all offensive) and a game-best three blocks in the triumph over No. 5/6 Florida (2/1/25).
• Logged 10 points on a 5-of-6 field-goal clip in the victory over No. 23 Georgia (1/15/25), adding four rebounds and a career-high-tying three assists.
• Registered 10 points and a career-high five blocks, the latter the first such performance by a Volunteer in 2024-25, versus Norfolk State (12/31/24).
• Stuffed the stat sheet with five points, seven rebounds, a career-high three assists and one steal versus Western Carolina (12/17/24).
• Scored nine points, all in the second half, against Miami (12/10/24) in the Jimmy V Classic, throwing down two alley-oop dunks and going 5-of-6 at the line to set then-career highs in both makes and attempts.
• Made his first five shots and finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, setting a then-career high in makes, in the win versus Syracuse (12/3/24), adding six rebounds, two assists and two blocks, with the assist mark tying a career best.
• Finished with six points, six rebounds and two blocked shots versus UT Martin (11/27/24).
• Posted 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 field-goal clip in the triumph against No. 13/14 Baylor (11/2/24) in the Baha Mar Championship final, throwing down three dunks.
• Totaled 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and pulled down a co-game-high nine rebounds versus Austin Peay (11/17/24), setting at least then-career bests in each category.
• Recorded six points on a perfect 3-of-3 field-goal clip in the win at Louisville (11/9/24), plus grabbed a then-career-high six rebounds in a career-best 21 minutes.
• Set then-career highs in minutes (20), points (seven) and made field goals (three), adding a then-career high four rebounds in the season-opening triumph against Gardner-Webb (11/4/24), plus tied his then-top tally in assists (two).

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