After getting a first-round bye, the Tennessee Volunteers opened their 2026 SEC Tournament campaign against the struggling Auburn Tigers. The Tigers have won only three of their last ten games, and somehow got into the second round with a 77-61 win over No. 13 Mississippi State. With that, the Vols are also getting some bit of good news as freshman forward Nate Ament is expected to return during this second round matchup.
ESPN college sports insider Pete Thamel is reporting that Nate Ament is expected to play against the Tigers, as he had suffered a leg injury against Alabama back in February 28, missing two games. Thamel added that it is still not known if Ament will start or will have limited minutes as he is still listed as questionable coming into the game.
While he missed some games due to injury, Nate Ament has reportedly been attending full regular practice and has been doing individual drills ahead of the SEC Tournament. It seems that the freshman forward has been working his way to recovery and being in tiptop shape ahead of their second round showdown against Auburn.
Should the Volunteers go through, they will be facing a team that has beaten them before, and that is the Vanderbilt Commodores. During that loss, however, Nate Ament was injured, which means that with his return probably, things could turn out differently for the Vols should they get through Auburn.
Nate Ament Named a Julius Erving Award Finalist
As Nate Ament prepares for his return from injury during the SEC Tournament, he may be in for one big honor as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has named him as one of the finalists for the Julius Erving Award, which celebrates the best forwards in Division I college men’s basketball.
He will be competing against BYU’s A.J. Dybantsa, Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic and Texas’ Dailyn Swain for the award. In his freshman year, Ament has averaged 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.
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