Tennessee basketball snapped its losing streak by beating 11th-ranked Louisville, thanks to an all-around effort. Even with a minor slump going on, Nate Ament has still found ways to impact the game for Tennessee. He makes smart passes and is always active defensively. Ament hustles after loose balls and never lacks effort.
Ament may have been a victim of Rick Barnes' demanding schedule. By no means has Ament been bad, but he has had a little bit of a slump versus high-major competition. This is not uncommon, especially for a skill set like Ament's, a lanky combo forward.
Given this, ESPN has decided to drop Arment from its top 10 Freshman of the Year contenders, and Vols fans are not happy about it.
ESPN drops Ament from top 10 Freshman of the Year contenders
On ESPN's big board for the NBA Draft, Ament is ranked as the seventh player, but apparently, his slump has cost him a spot in the Freshman rankings. One very interesting thing is the fact that Arizona's Brayden Burries and Iowa State's Killyan Toure made the list ahead of Ament.
Right now, Ament is averaging 16 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals. Burries is averaging 13.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. What in the world? Ament is pretty much better than him in every category. I understand Arizona is number one in the AP Polls right now, but cmon. Ament has been inefficient, but the Vols have played a challenging schedule.
Toure is averaging 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 steals. Again, Ament has almost better numbers all-around. The thing that has been getting Vols fans most upset is that if Tennessee were playing a bunch of cupcakes, Ament would be dominating and wouldn't be in his spot on the list.
In the win over Louisville Tuesday night, Ament had 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists on a 46% day from the field. Pretty solid outing versus the 11th-ranked team, right? The most significant part of this performance didn't even show up on the box score. It was Ament's aggression and ability to play through contact that stood out. He has grown in just a month of college basketball.
In the long run, Ament will have ample opportunity to get back on the rankings, but it doesn't mean Vols fans are happy about it.