The diagnosis of a sprained knee for Georgia forward Yante Maten was released on Sunday, and it brought a huge sigh of relief to Georgia fans.

The assumption may have been that Maten would only miss a game or two, but head coach Mark Fox reiterated the significance of the injury and clarified a timetable for a potential return.

“It is a very significant sprain, and it’s a serious injury. I don’t think our medical people or myself have any expectation of Yante returning during the regular season. The odds of that are very slim,” Fox said during Monday's SEC teleconference.

Maten went down in Saturday's loss to Kentucky, after his knee was landed on by guard Isaiah Briscoe. The injury occurred 95 seconds into the game and Georgia's star - who averages 18.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game - and he did not return.

Georgia, which still has slim aspirations for the NCAA Tournament, will have to finish out a tough regular season stretch before potentially having Maten return for the SEC Tournament - which begins on March 8.

The Bulldogs' remaining slate includes games at Alabama on Feb. 23 and at Arkansas to conclude the regular season on March 4. In Maten's absence, sophomore Mike Edwards would be the most likely candidate to start and Houston Kessler and Pape Diatta could see more minutes as well.