Tennessee freshman forward Nate Ament was listed Wednesday night as questionable for Thursday afternoon’s Southeastern Conference tournament game against Auburn.
The highest-rated signee in Volunteers basketball history missed the last two regular-season games due to a high-ankle sprain suffered during the the 71-69 loss to Alabama on Feb. 28. Tennessee won its first game without the 6-foot-10, 207-pounder from Manassas, Virginia, whipping South Carolina 78-59 in Columbia on March 3, but his absence was notable during Saturday’s 86-82 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville.
“Nate Ament has handled this like an NBA player,” Tennessee assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said early Wednesday afternoon in a press conference as the Vols practiced at Vanderbilt. “He’s been in the training room three times a day. He’s doing everything he can do with all the resources we have.
“Nate has made real progress. What that means in terms of him actually being able to get on the court? I don’t know, but he has worked his tail off.”
Tennessee freshman guard Amari Evans, who replaced Ament and scored 24 points in Saturday’s setback, was listed as probable (ankle) on the SEC availability report, while fellow freshman guard Troy Henderson was listed as questionable (shoulder).
The 25th-ranked Vols are seeded fifth after their 21-10 regular season that included an 11-7 mark in SEC contests. Tennessee will be seeking a fifth consecutive season of at least 22 wins, which would be a program first, when the two teams collide around 3 p.m. Eastern on the SEC Network.
Auburn is seeded 12th in the conference tournament and advanced Wednesday afternoon with a 79-61 downing of 13th-seeded Mississippi State at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Steven Pearl’s Tigers, who are squarely on the NCAA tournament bubble, improved to 17-15 and will be looking to avenge a 77-69 loss to Tennessee inside the Food City Center on Jan. 31.
The Vols led wire to wire in that game and outrebounded Auburn 46-30.
“They punked us the first time,” Pearl said during a press conference after advancing. “They absolutely destroyed us with offensive rebounds, and we fouled too much. They’re going to challenge your toughness and challenge your manhood, and you’ve got to respond.
“Tomorrow is going to be a fight, and our guys have to show a different level of toughness this time around to beat a really good Tennessee team.”
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Ament scored 22 points and collected eight rebounds against Auburn, topping his season averages of 17.4 and 6.4. He was named Wednesday afternoon among the five finalists for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the top small forward in college basketball.
The other finalists are Brigham Young’s A.J. Dybantsa, Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic and Dailyn Swain of Texas.
Whenever Ament returns, whether it’s against Auburn or later, the transition may not be seamless.
“It can be very difficult,” Polinsky said. “It’s not just hard for Nate, but it’s hard for his teammates in terms of incorporating him in again. You can say that he’s been here all year, but the team has shifted a little bit to what you’re doing.
“Some players come back quick, and with some players it takes a little while. I’d sure love to see it.”
Odds and ends
Tennessee has a 76-59 record in the SEC tournament and has won it five times, with the most recent crown occurring in 2022. … The Vols have won five of the past seven series meetings with Auburn after dropping six straight, which marks the longest losing streak Tennessee 11th-year head coach Rick Barnes has endured against another SEC foe. … Senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie is the only player to start every game this season for Tennessee.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.