COLUMBIA, S.C. — Despite being without star freshman Nate Ament, Tennessee basketball cruised to a 78-59 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night. Following the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes addressed the injury and provided a positive update on Ament’s status moving forward.
“He looks good today,” Barnes said of Ament. “We obviously knew he was not going to play. Our doctors and trainers will tell us on that. I could just tell you, if it were up to Nate, he would have played today. I’ve told you guys all year, he’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever been around.
“The fact that he played in the Missouri game after that high ankle turn, he wanted to play the other night. Obviously, doctors didn’t think it was the wisest thing to do. I can tell you, if it were up to him, he would have played today. Obviously, the right decision was not to play him.”
Ament rolled his ankle in the first half at Missouri and then suffered another injury in the first half of Tennessee’s loss against Alabama last Saturday. He was on the ground trying to corral a loose ball when an Alabama player fell on his right leg and it bent backwards. The star freshman briefly returned in the second half but played less than three minutes before exiting for the remainder of the game.
On Monday, it was unclear if it was more of an ankle or a knee injury for Ament because he had swelling in both areas on Sunday. Further removed, the ankle is the bigger concern with the wing’s knee not seeming to be a serious issue.
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“I think if you asked him right now, it’s more of a high-ankle sprain,” Barnes said. “I think the knee is fine. But that’s what I think from just talking to him. What he was feeling last night and today, he was moving a lot better. It was more of the high-ankle sprain.”
A high-ankle sprain can be a serious injury, but it does not appear to be a bad one for Ament. The star freshman was not wearing a boot, wearing normal tennis shoes with his sweats before and during the game. Asked if Ament would play again this season, Barnes answered confidentially.
“Oh yeah. Absolutely,” Barnes said. “I’m telling you, he would have played today. If they would have agreed to let him play today. That’s who he is. He just wants to play. … I guarantee you if this was our last game of the year, Nate Ament would’ve played.”
Ament is averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game this season. He leads the team in rebounding, ranks second in points and ranks third in assists.
He has been even more productive in SEC play, averaging 19 points and six rebounds per game. He’s one of Tennessee’s major sources of offense. Not having him is a major blow for the Vols.
Tennessee boasts a 21-9 (11-6 SEC) record entering its regular season finale against rival Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon. The Vols won the first meeting between the two earlier this season, knocking off the Commodores 69-65 in Nashville.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Vanderbilt is at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon. ESPN is broadcasting the rivalry matchup.
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