Tennessee Basketball Suffers Serious Injury Blow

Tennessee’s 2026-2027 basketball season is getting closer and closer as the Vols look to build off of an elite eight run from last season.

.They brought in many new faces to Knoxville via the transfer portal, including Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris and VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr., California transfer Dai Dai Ames, and more. The Vols also brought in four new freshmen to join the program.

Unfortunately, the Vols have lost one of their big pieces for an extended period of time due to injury.

Ralph Scott Out with a Serious Injury

S ot — Tennessee forward Ralph Scott during a media availability held at the Food City Center in Knoxville on July 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Freshman Ralph Scott has suffered an injury to his left knee, which will cause him to miss the next six to eight months. Scott is set to undergo surgery for the injury soon.

Scott was likely to come off the bench this season, but would have been a key rotation piece for Rick Barnes’ squad.

Scott was ranked by Rivals as a top-80 player in the country from the esteemed IMG Academy.

Rick Barnes Reacts to the News

Tennessee forward Ralph Scott during a media availability held at the Food City Center in Knoxville on July 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"Ralph was really looking forward to beginning his college career in a few weeks and we were excited to see him on the court competing for the Volunteers. However, it is important he gets healthy and this surgery will help him do just that. We will be there for Ralph to support him throughout his recovery process. Ralph is extremely talented and we remain enthusiastic about his bright future on Rocky Top," Banres said.

More About Scott

AScoot — Tennessee forward Ralph Scott (13) handles the ball during a Tennessee basketball practice in Pratt Pavilion on July 23, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Bermuda native had high expectations going into the season. Back in high school, he was named the MVP of the Basketball Without Borders tournament, leading his team to the finals while being the first Bermudian player to ever compete in the event.

Before he played at IMG Academy, he played at Lakeside Christian School in Florida.

While he played at IMG Academy, he played with many future college players, including former Arkansas guard Darius Acuff, who was just selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

He averaged 14 points per game and seven rebounds per game during his junior season, per UTsports.com.

He committed to Tennessee back in September of last year, and here is what he had to say about his commitment to Rivals.

“I chose Tennessee because of the great environment I felt there and the love that I felt from the coaching staff. What led to me trust the coaching staff was Coach Barnes history with putting players at the next level and developing them into high-level pros.”

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