After starting off in the top-six of the Associated Press' preseason rankings, Tennessee struggles continue to mount. To make matters worse, the Vols' leading scorer Rickea Jackson is out indefinitely. ESPN first reported the news two days ago and The Next Hoop's Gabriella Lewis reported that the status of Jackson and senior center Tamari Key hasn't changed.
Just spoke with @LadyVol_Hoops HC Kellie Harper, and there is no update on the return of Rickea Jackson or Tamari Key. @TheNextHoops
— Gabriella Lewis (she/her) (@_gabriellalewis) December 7, 2022
Tennessee, who is now unranked, is 5-5, haven't been able to slow down opposing team's offenses, surrendering 65.8 points per game. It has come at a time where head coach Kellie Harper said the team was “lost” a couple weeks ago.
“I think everybody has to step up,” Harper told ESPN when asked about playing without Jackson. “We are trying to help that, also with some play-calling and putting our players in positions to be successful and take advantage of matchups in certain situations. We can. And we have players that will be able to do that.
“They had to have a lot of grit to get through practice this week. We told them that's not a one-time thing, that's forevermore. And now, moving forward, in the immediate future, we've got to find how to continue to have that toughness, that grit.”
Injuries have ravaged the Vols' season so far in 2022. On top of losing Jackson, who was averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, Tennessee was without Jasmine Franklin and Jillian Hollingshead, who were both in concussion protocol during its loss on Dec. 4. Jordan Horston was out for a period of time at the beginning of the season and Key was not in the lineup in yesterday's win.
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