Tennessee will kick off the SEC Tournament tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET, where Rick Barnes will take on the inner of the Auburn against Mississippi State, who play today at 3 p.m. Heading into the SEC Tournament, the biggest question is how healthy are the Vols? Nate Ament has been sidelined the last few games, and everyone seems to have lots of bumps and bruises. Playing in a physically demanding league like the SEC, it's no surprise, but ideally, the Vols need to be as healthy as possible when March Madness kicks off.
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This injury update couldn't be any better for Tennessee basketball. Ryan Schumperty of Rocky Top Insider is reporting that Nate Ament is doing five-on-five work for the first time since he got hurt against Alabama a couple of weeks ago. Plus, Troy Hendertsion and Amari Evans, who were both a little banged up, are practicing as well.
Nate Ament is practicing today for Tennessee basketball. Doing five-on-five work for the first time since the Alabama game.
— Ryan Schumpert (@ryanschumpert00) March 11, 2026
Both Amari Evans and Troy Henderson are practicing as well.
Is Nate Ament going to play tommorow?
I'm not sure if this means that Amenmt is 100% going to play, but it's a sign that he undoubtedly will be ready for March Madness. The Vols will either play on Thursday or Friday next week in their round of 64 matchup. Tennessee will likely fall on the No. 6 seed line, but a strong performance at the SEC Tournament could boost its chances of moving up to a No. 5 or even No. 4 seed.
Don't be shocked if Ament does end up sitting out tomorrow. Although it would be nice to make a run in the SEC Tournament at the end of the day, it really means nothing. It's all about next week and the Big Dance. My gut says he does suit up, though. Historically, the committee is very unpredictable when it comes to conference tournament wins, and they always fall back on some excuse like "we had the teams, ranked all week, and it won't be enough to move the needle" or some other mediocre excuse.
Either way, the big takeaway is that Nate Ament is back playing five-on-five, and it's only a matter of time before he's playing in a game for Tennessee again.