Tennessee freshman wing Nate Ament has elevated his game to a whole new level in recent weeks. After starting his year with some good-but-not-elite results, Ament has found his footing here in SEC play and has been putting up some monster numbers over the Vols’ last handful of games. He’s cemented himself as one of the most dangerous weapons and the SEC and someone that Tennessee will heavily rely upon for the remainder of the season.
Over his last five games, Ament is putting up 25.4 points per game. He’s reached a career-high 29 points twice during that stretch, both coming in road games against Kentucky and Alabama. Ament hasn’t scored fewer than 17 points since Jan. 6, averaging 11.1 points per game in the six games before that.
It’s clear that Ament is hunting his shot on a much more frequent basis. He’s still patient with his game and doesn’t always rush into a huge performance, but he’s learning on the fly and adapting his style to what will be successful as he goes. It may sound cliché, but if you’re watching every Tennessee basketball game this season, you’re seeing him grow up before your eyes.
ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf recently ranked the Top 10 freshman players in college basketball. Ament was previously left off the list in their latest update, but he’s played his way onto the list now. The rankings were released before his 29-point showing against Kentucky on Saturday, so you’d have to think that he might even be ranked higher than his current spot.
Borzello and Medcalf ranked Ament as the 9th-best freshman in the sport, coming in as the second highest-ranked player from the SEC behind Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr. at No. 7.
“The early criticism about Ament was warranted,” Medcalf writes. “While his peers on this list were looking like young stars, he — too often — seemed to shrink in Tennessee’s biggest games. That’s no longer the case. During the Vols’ current four-game winning streak against Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss, Ament has averaged 24.5 points and made 44% of his shots from 3. The 6-foot-10 forward is hitting his stride at the right time for the Vols, who have been 26th in adjusted offensive efficiency during the four-game streak, according to BartTorvik. He’s shaping into a matchup challenge for any team Tennessee faces in the NCAA tournament.”
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While Tennessee lost to Kentucky just one day after this analysis was published, Ament wasn’t the reason. In fact, he was really Tennessee’s only saving grace in that game. Ament finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. With Ja’Kobi Gillespie only scoring one point in the second half, much of the workload fell on Ament’s shoulders. Tennessee just didn’t do enough as a team to pull out the win.
Ament will continue to be heavily relied upon as the SEC schedule unfolds. While Gillespie has the ability to heat up at any time and make some huge shots, Ament’s versatility and ability to get to the line give UT more to work with. Tennessee will need him to keep making high-level shots and string more big scoring games together moving forward.
After falling to Kentucky on Saturday night, Tennessee will return to action with a midweek road game at Mississippi State on Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the game from Starkville, MS.
