Tennessee Basketball To Pursue A Medical Red Shirt Season For Junior Forward Cade Phillips

Knoxville, TN - The Tennessee Volunteers suffered a significant setback Monday as head men’s basketball coach Rick Barnes announced that junior forward Cade Phillips will miss the remainder of the 2025–26 season. Phillips is scheduled to undergo surgery to address a recurring left-shoulder injury that has limited him throughout the early portion of the schedule.

Barnes expressed both disappointment and support as he detailed the decision.

“We will sincerely miss having Cade on the court and he is certainly disappointed he won’t be able to play the rest of the season, but it is essential he gets healthy,” Barnes said. “Cade did all he could to play through this injury as long as possible. We love Cade and we’ll do everything we can to support him. We know Cade will continue help us this year, even from the sideline, because that is the type of person and teammate he is.” - Coach Barnes

Phillips had emerged as a key rotation piece for Tennessee, starting nine of the team’s first 10 games this season. In those appearances, he averaged 3.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks across 16.9 minutes per game, while shooting an impressive 65.4 percent from the field. Among SEC players with at least 25 shot attempts, that efficiency currently ranks tied for No. 13.

At 6-foot-9 and 221 pounds, the Jacksonville, Alabama native brought both size and energy to the Volunteers’ frontcourt. Over his three seasons in Knoxville, Phillips has appeared in 61 games, contributing to Tennessee’s 64–20 (.762) record during that span. He holds collegiate averages of 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 63.5 percent from the floor.

With Phillips sidelined for the rest of the year, Tennessee will submit a medical redshirt application, hoping to preserve a year of eligibility for the junior forward.

You can learn more about Cade Phillips on TPL here

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More Than Hoops: The Brotherhood Within with Cade Phillips & Grant Hurst

In this episode of More Than Hoops, Tennessee basketball standouts Cade Phillips and Grant Hurst share with the fans. Together, they dive into leadership, accountability, and what “More Than Hoops” really means — on and off the hardwood. From early morning practices to late-night reflection, they share how faith, family, and hard work have shaped their journeys as student-athletes in the SEC. Cade talks about staying grounded through adversity and what it means to play for something bigger than himself, while Grant reflects on the mindset it takes to earn every minute on the floor and the lessons that come with wearing the Power T. This episode is sponsored by DICK'S House of Sport. Enter to win the Tennessee Football Giveaway for Four. Learn more: https://dickssportinggoods.app.link/JI3AMxzaoWb 00:00:10 — Intro & Giveaway Announcement Cade and Grant kick off the new season of "More Than Hoops," introduce a Dick’s House of Sport giveaway, and talk about Tennessee’s recent recruiting wins. 00:01:09 — Tennessee Basketball Recruiting Culture The hosts share experiences about campus visits, recruiting stories, and how Knoxville’s winning culture attracts talent. 00:03:05 — Shoutouts & Coach Relationships Discussion about assistant coach Greg Polinsky (GP), the importance of genuine coaching, and personal anecdotes. 00:05:32 — Leadership Changes & New Roles Reflecting on departures like Jemima, Zakai, and Jordan, Cade and Grant talk about stepping into bigger leadership roles for the upcoming season. 00:08:31 — Team Chemistry & New Personalities Exploring locker room dynamics, the impact of incoming transfers/freshmen, and highlighting unexpected personalities on the team. 00:09:49 — Upcoming Season & Tournament Matchups Looking ahead to showdowns versus Duke, Houston, and thoughts on high-exposure non-conference games to start the season. 00:11:35 — Players Era Tournament & Thanksgiving Traditions Grant and Cade discuss the upcoming Las Vegas tournament on Thanksgiving Day, sharing personal excitement. 00:12:23 — Practice Intensity & Team Turnover How a large group of new faces changes Tennessee’s practices and the challenge of building chemistry quickly. 00:15:09 — First Open Scrimmage & Versatility Recap of the first open scrimmage, including exciting finishes and talk about the roster’s flexibility. 00:17:21 — Locker Room Life & Off-Court Moments Favorite off-court moments, locker room spelling bees, team banter, and why Mondays are so fun. 00:19:22 — Lessons Learned & Leadership Advice Insights into leadership and consistency, personal growth for Cade and Grant as team leaders. 00:21:26 — More Than Hoops Segment: Knoxville in 24 Hours Hosts imagine a perfect day off in Knoxville, sharing their ideal local routines. 00:22:38 — Starting Five: Top Travel Snacks Grant and Cade list their “starting five” favorite snacks for team travel. 00:24:28 — Starting Five: Locker Room Songs A rundown of team hype songs and playlist essentials. 00:26:50 — Starting Five: Most Memorable Games at Tennessee Highlighting the most exciting and meaningful games since joining the Volunteers. 00:30:55 — Closing Thoughts & Audience Engagement Final remarks, shout-outs, and an invitation for listeners to suggest future guests.

A Tough WeeK

The Volunteers now face the challenge of adjusting their rotation and front court depth as conference play approaches. Still, Barnes emphasized that Phillips’ leadership and presence will remain invaluable — even from the sidelines.

Despite a challenging week on the court, the Tennessee Volunteers maintained one of the nation’s most impressive streaks in the major college basketball polls. Tennessee (7–3) dropped seven spots in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, yet still extended its run of AP top-20 rankings to 64 consecutive weeks.

This week also marks Tennessee’s 86th straight appearance in the AP Top 25, a streak that dates back to the opening poll of the 2021–22 season. The feat obliterates the previous program record of 37 consecutive weeks set between March 1999 and February 2001.

The conference continues to assert itself nationally. Tennessee is one of six SEC teams ranked in both major polls this week, joining:

• No. 12 Alabama

• No. 15/14 Vanderbilt

• No. 17 Arkansas

• No. 18 Florida

• No. 21/24 Auburn

Additionally, Georgia, Kentucky and LSU earned votes in both polls, while Missouri received votes in the Coaches Poll.

Despite the losses to Power 5 teams, the Vols still finished this week’s balloting with 286 points in the AP Poll and 170 points in the Coaches Poll, keeping them safely inside the top 25 at number 20

Tennessee returns to action on Dec. 16 when it hosts No. 11 Louisville at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.