Tennessee forward John Fulkerson has been eliminated from the remainder of the SEC tournament due to facial injuries sustained in Friday’s win over Florida, the school announced.
Fulkerson left Friday’s game after being hit with two elbows in the head by Omar Payne of Florida, who was sent off.
“That was a nasty play,” Tennessee striker Yves Pons told reporters Friday. “That’s nothing to do on a basketball court. Of course we take it personally. We love John. We play for him. We had his back.”
Fulkerson, a 6-foot-9 senior who has started 55 games in the past two seasons, has averaged 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds this season. He had 14 points and seven rebounds against Florida in the regular season finale, and had eight points in 19 minutes against the Gators on Friday.
Rick Barnes could choose to go with a smaller line-up against Alabama on Saturday, with sophomore Josiah-Jordan James possibly replacing Fulkerson. James played against Florida for 30 minutes on Friday and finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists from the bench.