Not only did Tennessee lose a rivalry game to a talented Alabama team, in a game where Tennessee led for all but 24 seconds, but Tennessee’s star player, Nate Ament, went down with what appeared to be a serious injury. Diving for a loose ball, he was rolled up on, and his leg went into a completely awkward position behind him. Ament returned to the game at the beginning of the second half, but he was immediately subbed out after grimacing with pain.
When Rick Barnes was asked if their was any update on Nate Ament he was short and sweet.
“No,” said Barnes.
Barnes was also asked whether Ament may have aggravated the injury when he returned in the second half. His response didn’t exactly provide much reassurance.
“No, I think when he hurt his knee a little bit, but he did tweak his foot he had turned at, that ankle. He tried, and if he can’t go, he can’t go because there’s no one tougher than him," said Barnes.
If Ament was going to be fine, I'm sure Barnes would have emphasized that. Barnes did, however, emphasize the fact that Ament is one of the toughest players out there, and if it was bad enough to keep him out, then it's probably not good. The loss was already a big enough gut punch for Tennessee fans, but now this just puts the icing on the cake.
Nate Ament’s injury casts shadow over Tennessee’s March aspirations
If Tennessee has any aspirations of making a big run in March, they need Ament. I'm not sure I see a scenario where Tennessee makes a Final Four push without the star freshman. He's an offensive catalyst with his scoring and passing, plus he rebounds at a high level and is a good team defender. He does everything for Tennessee, and if he's done for the year, it could derail the season. Having him back as soon as possible would be the most ideal, obviously, but as long as he's back by the round one game of March Madness, Tennessee dodged a bullet.
Tennessee has two more regular-season games, at South Carolina on Tuesday and next Saturday against Vanderbilt. Ideally, Ament will be healthy enough to suit up for the Senior Day game against the Commodores.