No. 20 Tennessee’s Cade Phillips will have shoulder surgery and miss rest of season

By Canadian Press on December 8, 2025.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee junior forward Cade Phillips will miss the rest of this season and have surgery to repair his left shoulder.

Coach Rick Barnes said Monday that the Volunteers will miss Phillips on the court and the forward is disappointed not to play. But Barnes said it’s essential that Phillips get healthy. The shoulder issue has been a recurring problem, and Tennessee will be applying for a medical redshirt for Phillips.

“Cade did all he could to play through this injury as long as possible,” Barnes said. “We love Cade and we’ll do everything we can to support him.”

Phillips started nine of 10 games for the 20th-ranked Volunteers (7-3). He was averaging 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a game while shooting 65.4% from the floor. The 6-foot-9, 221-pound Phillips had been wearing a brace trying to protect his shoulder. He has played 61 games over three seasons at Tennessee.

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The Associated Press