Is Santiago Vescovi playing the Elite Eight game against Purdue today? Tennessee Guard's status explored

Tennessee point guard Santiago Vescovi is optimistic about featuring in the Volunteers' Elite Eight duel against Purdue on Sunday.

After Tennessee's game against Creighton, Vescovi told reporters that he would try to suit up for the Volunteers in their upcoming clash.

"I'm going to try to play. I want to play and I want to be with the guys. The flu has been kicking my tail," Vescovi said.

The Uruguayan guard missed the game against Creighton due to the flu. It was just the fourth instance of him missing a Volunteers game in his five-year stint with the team.

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Is Santiago Vescovi playing today vs Purdue?

Vescovi hopes to play for Tennessee in its Elite Eight clash with Purdue.

While he is listed as probable, team doctors will continue to evaluate him for today's game against Purdue.

The 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals in 34 games for the Volunteers this season. In his 148 games with Tennessee, he has tallied, 10.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 1.4 spg overall.

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Vescovi's illness

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes noticed some improvement in the player's health over the last few days.

"He looked better today. We'll just see really more so tomorrow, I think once we get going. We expect him to be ready," Barnes said on Saturday.

Jahmai Mashack replaced Vescovi in the starting five against Creighton and played for 25 minutes. He finished with four points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.

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Santiago Vescovi's stats from the last game

Vescovi started for Tennessee in their second-round game against Texas. He finished with two points, four rebounds, and three steals in the Volunteers' 62-58 win over the Longhorns. He logged 20 minutes in the clash.

The game was a defensive struggle from tip-off, as both teams bled for their points. Texas and Tennessee combined for 42 of 120 shots (35%) from the field.

The point guard is a game-time decision for the Purdue game. The Tennessee-Purdue Elite Eight game will start at 2:20 pm ET. The Volunteers aim to hand the Boilermakers their fifth defeat of the season and claim one of the four slots in this year's Final Four.