Rick Barnes said he had no discussions with Cam Carr before the sophomore wing left the Tennessee Basketball program on Monday. He didn’t know why he left, either.

“I have no idea,” Barnes said Monday night, after an 82-64 win over Middle Tennessee State at Food City Center. “He just walked out.”

Carr will enter the NCAA Transfer Portal and will attempt to redshirt this season. He had been sidelined since November 17 with a ligament injury in his left thumb that required surgery.

Carr had the cast removed on his thumb last week and had been working through individual drills during practice while he was sidelined with the injury. The original timeline for return was 4-6 weeks.

Barnes added Carr’s decision surprised and disappointed his teammates. He said he was “baffled” by the decision himself.

“We were obviously counting on him being part of the team,” Barnes said. “Surprised his teammates. They were very disappointed. So from here on, there is nothing to really talk about. He made his decision. No reason. It’s baffling to be quite honest with you.”

Tennessee had eight scholarship players available vs. MTSU

No. 1 Tennessee (12-0) is currently down to eight scholarship players. Sophomore center JP Estrella was lost to season-ending foot surgery in late November and freshman guard Bishop Boswell missed Monday’s game with a right shoulder injury and is considered day-to-day.

The Vols are back home next Tuesday against Norfolk State in the final non-conference game of the season before SEC play starts January 4 against Arkansas.

Carr averaged 4.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game off the bench over the first four games of the season. He had four points and one rebound in nine minutes against Austin Peay, when he suffered the thumb injury, after scoring a career-high 13 points in 16 minutes against Montana in the 92-57 win November 13.  

“His decision is his decision at the end of the day,” Tennessee senior guard Zakai Zeigler said after scoring 17 points and recording a career-high 15 assists against MTSU. “He is his own person. We can wish him nothing but the best. It was — I wouldn’t say unexpected or (I) expected it or anything like that. But like I said before just wishing him the best.”

“Definitely wish him the best,” Chaz Lanier said after scoring a team-high 23 points. “He just told us he loves us and that he felt like it was the best opportunity for him.”

12-0 Vols off to their best start since 1915-16 season

Tennessee entered the season shorthanded, with just 11 scholarship players on roster out of a possible 13, and the Vols have gotten even thinner over the last two months.

Hofstra transfer wing Darlinstone Dubar missed the first four games of the season while dealing with a personal matter and missed the Miami game in New York on December 10 while in concussion protocol. Boswell also missed the Gardner Webb game while in concussion protocol.

Carr injured his left thumb in the second half of the win over Austin Peay on November 17. The thumb bent back awkwardly as he was fouled with 7:10 left. He stayed in the game to shoot the free throws that followed, making one of two, then checked out for the rest of the game.

Tennessee is off to its best start to a season since the 1915-16 team started 12-0. The Vols have been ranked No. 1 for the last two weeks and are four wins away from setting a new record for the best start in program history.

Barnes said despite the abruptness of Carr’s departure, he wasn’t surprised by the move.

“To be honest with you I am not surprised,” he said. “It didn’t surprise me. I actually made that comment to the coaches. That is all I can tell you. Are you are asking if we think about it? We think about it all the time.

“We are around these guys all the time. We know when guys are locked in and when they’re not. We know guys. We know these guys like the back of our hand. They talk. We talk. If you ask me, I was not the least bit surprised.”