KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee guard Santiago Vescovi gave an update on Saturday on his health and his status for the Elite 8 matchup for the Vols against Purdue.
The fifth-year senior was not able to play against Creighton in the Sweet 16 due to the flu. He started feeling unwell on Tuesday night and did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday leading up to the game on Friday.
He plans on practicing Saturday ahead of the Elite 8 game on Sunday.
"I'm going to try and play," he said. "I want to play and be out there with the guys. The flu has been kicking my tail, but we will see today how I feel out there and then tomorrow same thing. The main message is I do want to play I want to be with the guys I'm going to do whatever I can to play tomorrow."
Vescovi said game day was a nightmare for him. He had a fever, body aches, he was freezing all the time. He felt he wouldn't have been able to contribute to the team as he had no energy.
He was frustrated he couldn't compete with his team, but happy they kept advancing in the tournament by beating Creighton 82-75.
"I was sitting in the training room watching the game and that really got my blood going," he said. It got me really excited. The guys did a great job yesterday. It was really fun to watch."
Vescovi said he felt better and had more energy on Saturday. He jogged on Saturday morning and said he felt okay.
Tennessee has listed Vescovi as day-to-day leading up to the Elite 8 matchup.
The Vols play Purdue on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. in Detroit.