Georgia is hoping to have its star forward for the SEC Tournament in Nashville, but head coach Mark Fox still has a great deal of uncertainty.

Yante Maten suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in the opening moments against Kentucky on Feb. 18, and has not seen action since. Maten, averaging 18.7 points per game, leaves a big gap in the Bulldogs’ lineup and could be a considerable help as Georgia is on the NCAA Tournament bubble once more.

While making progress, it’s far from a sure thing that Maten can suit up for the first weekend of postseason play.

“I don’t know (the chances of Maten playing in Nashville,” Fox said during Monday's SEC teleconference. "He has not practiced, but has gotten to the point of shooting some balls. He’s scheduled to meet with our team doctor before we head to Nashville.”

The visit with team doctors was announced after Saturday’s loss to Arkansas, and Fox is hoping for good news. But when the Bulldogs arrive in Nashville, it will have been 19 days since Maten’s injury.

Thus, Fox stated that the chances were split evenly in terms of Maten playing, then slowly retracted his statement. Fox added that Georgia will not put Maten into action solely to give the NCAA Tournament committee the extra consideration if he is not yet cleared to play by doctors and training staff.

Georgia has gone 3-1 while Maten has been sidelined, but it has shown a considerable discrepancy in defense and rebounding during his end-of-season absence.

“Fifty-fifty, maybe,” he said. “That’s probably unfair for me to even guess. We’ll wait and see what the doctor says and progress from there.”

Regardless of results in Nashville, Maten can be expected to return for further postseason play, either in the NIT or the NCAA Tournament.

“I am confident that he would be ready to go the following week,” Fox said. “Essentially, with what he was diagnosed with and the timetable he was given, I think we’re confident that if we could advance to play the following week, that we could have him.”

For the time being, it’s complete hope from the Bulldogs that their star returns for one last run.

“Whether or not we can have him this week, it would probably be a blessing,” Fox said.