In Auburn men’s basketball’s upset loss to Texas A&M Tuesday, the Tigers were far from their best. However, they were missing a key piece.

Starting point guard and defensive standout Denver Jones missed the game due to a soft tissue injury in his right ankle, an injury suffered against Kentucky.

Jones was ruled a game time decision before the game, dressing and warming up before eventually being ruled out.

Ahead of Auburn’s final regular season game against Alabama Saturday, head coach Bruce Pearl was asked about Jones’ status and gave a status update.

“He moved around yesterday, and as you guys know, we’ll practice this afternoon, and my anticipation is that he’ll be able to go through practice,” Pearl told reporters Friday morning. “Let’s see after practice how he reacts to the load.”

Jones returning to practice is an optimistic sign for his return Saturday, but there’s still no official word on his status. The first official availability report comes out Friday night, followed by a final report pregame.

Jones averages 10.7 points per game and is Auburn’s most efficient 3-point shooter, making 43% of his attempts from long range.

Auburn’s rematch with Alabama is set to tip off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on ESPN.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m