Tennessee has a big game on Thursday afternoon, where they will kick off the SEC Tournament. The Vols will play the winner of Auburn against Mississippi State on who play Wednesday afternoon. One of the biggest stories surrounding the Tennessee Vols is when Nate Ament will be back and how he will look. Ament went down with a high ankle sprain against Alabama a few weeks ago. He attempted to tough it out and return for the second half, but the ankle was still clearly bothering him.
As of late, Ament has wanted to suit up a according to Rick Barnes, but he hasn't been cleared.
Barnes met with the media today provided an update on the standout freshman. He said:
“He’s OK. He did some more. He did some things with Chad (Newman) the last couple days and I think he’ll see a little bit more today. But still we’ll just see. He has been doing more with Chad running and ‘G’ (Garrett Medenwald), those type things. He’ll probably push a little bit more today and see how he responds from it.”
Nate Ament could be back soon for the Vols
This is an extremely positive update on Ament. He has been practicing and is up and moving on the ankle, so it sounds like he will be ready soon. While Ament may not be available for Thursday’s game, all indications suggest he should be back sooner rather than later. Ideally for Tennessee, that means he’ll be fully ready by the time March Madness arrives, when the Vols will need him the most.
Realistically, if he isn't available for the SEC Tournament, it's not a big deal. The Vols are sitting anywhere from a No. 5 to a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unless they win the SEC Tournament, they probably won't move up to a No. 4 seed. Also, the committee seems to not value conference tournaments very much, so who knows.
Tennessee has a big opportunity to make a splash this March. With Ament's help, Tennessee can be a force this tournament and make the second weekend. Plus, who knows if the Vols get hot, anything can happen.