J.P. Estrella is making up for lost time after playing in just three games last season before undergoing left foot surgery.

The 6-foot-11 big man has opened this season with three consecutive standout performances. He aims for another strong showing when No. 20 Tennessee (3-0) faces Rice (2-2) on Monday night at Knoxville, Tenn.

Though he serves as the backup to starting center Felix Okpara, Estrella quickly has displayed that he's fully recovered from the foot injury. He's averaging 17.3 points on 71.4% shooting (25 of 35) for the Volunteers and ranks second in scoring behind freshman Nate Ament (20.7). Estrella and Ament are tied for the team rebounding lead with 8.7 boards per game.

Estrella has been especially good the past two games while playing just 20 minutes in each.

He had 17

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