Tennessee basketball needed a spark and got it from superstar freshman Nate Ament on Thursday. The result was a come-from-behind 72-62 win over Auburn in the SEC Tournament, thanks to a 20-0 run late in the second half.
Ament was critical throughout the stretch. He would finish the game with 27 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field, 4-for-6 from three and 9-for-13 from the free throw line. He also contributed eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal.
“For me, I was just getting downhill and taking what the defense gives me,” Ament told RTI after the game. “Also, we started the game trying to feed our big men a lot. It allows us to open the floor. For me, it’s just sharing the ball because I know I’m going to get it back eventually.”
Here are highlights of Ament’s monster performance to advance the Vols to the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals:
Nate Ament was ALL OVER in Tennessee’s win over Auburn 😲
27 PTS
8 REB
3 BLK pic.twitter.com/9cTOU5vju4— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2026
More From RTI: Everything Tennessee Basketball Star Nate Ament Said After Going Off vs. Auburn in SEC Tournament
It wasn’t always clear that Ament would even play. On Wednesday night, he was listed as questionable due to a leg injury he has dealt with since going down vs. Alabama on Feb. 28.
On Thursday morning, it was reported that he’d play, but on a minutes restriction. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said he didn’t ask about a restriction and was never informed of one, though. Instead, it was just up to Ament for when he wanted to sub in or out.
Ultimately, Ament played 32 minutes and never looked affected.
“I didn’t ask (smiling),” Barnes said. “No one said it to me. Chad came to my room late last night, our trainer. We talked about it. I do know that high ankle sprains on the inside are difficult to deal with. I meant what I said. Nate wanted to play. He wanted to go back in the Alabama game and play. He said to me, which was not a good thing to say to me, Coach, my ankle sprain feels like every ankle sprain I’ve ever had. He said, I’ve always played.
“But we’re going to listen and pay attention to the diagnostics, all that stuff we get, the information. But that’s just toughness overall. No one told me today that we had a restriction. I thought they would, but they didn’t. I didn’t ask. I didn’t ask.”
Next, 5-seed Tennessee will have a rematch with in-state rival and 4-seed Vanderbilt. The rubber match between the programs, with both winning on the road in the regular season, will begin at about 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday and air on ESPN.
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