In the heartbreaking loss to Alabama over the weekend, Tennessee fans were worried sick when Nate Ament got rolled on awkwardly. He was down on the floor in a ton of pain and he walked off the court gingerly.
These 2 stats make South Carolina the perfect matchup for Tennessee to get a bounce-back win
Rick Barnes said Ament had suffered a knee injury, while also hurting his foot. Since then, there's been worry that maybe the 5-star freshman could miss an extended amount of time. Luckily, it doesn't look like that's going to be the case.
On Monday, after Ament was also held out of practice, Jeff Goodman reported that Ament has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain. With this, he's going to be listed as questionable for Tuesday night's showdown at South Carolina. This is the best-case scenario if you ask us:
Tennessee's Nate Ament has a high ankle sprain and is questionable for tomorrow's game at South Carolina, source told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 2, 2026
He initially hurt it against Missouri and re-injured it in the loss to Alabama on Saturday.
Ament is averaging 17.4 points and 6.4 boards.
Tennessee just avoided the worst-case injury scenario with star freshman Nate Ament
The big news here is that nothing is wrong with Ament's knee. Ankle sprains are of course tricky and not easy to recover from, but plenty of Tennessee supporters were concerned that Ament's status for the SEC Tournament and Big Dance would be up in the air.
Thankfully, Goodman's report throws cold water all over that idea. While it took a little bit of time for the youngster to get into a groove with the Vols for Barnes, there's no question that he has looked like a totally different player in the second half of the season.
In order for the Vols to surprise plenty of people this postseason, Ament is going to have to be at his best and also close to 100 percent. For now, it's unknown if he plays against the Gamecocks or not, with that decision expected to be made by Barnes on Tuesday.
If Ament does sit, it could be a smart call to give him some extra time to rest and heal his ankle. Even if he does miss the game against South Carolina, the fact that Ament isn't seriously injured is a major positive for this team moving forward.