Updated Feb. 28, 2026, 7:41 p.m. ET
(This story has been updated with new information.)
Nate Ament, Tennessee basketball’s standout freshman forward, is doubtful to return to the No. 22 Vols‘ game against No. 18 Alabama on Feb. 28 with a right leg injury.
Ament dove for a loose ball with 7:42 remaining in the first half of the game at Food City Center. The 6-foot-10 forward bent backward and his leg was caught under other players while fighting for possession on the floor. He stood up and walked to the locker room under his own power.
He warmed up with the team at halftime and started the second half, but he soon left the game again and went back to the locker room.
Ament knocked down a jump shot before he left early in the second half. He was 1-of-5 shooting for two points and three offensive rebounds in 11 minutes.
Tennessee basketball was cautious with Ament going into the game against Alabama. He had turned his right ankle in the first half of its loss at Missouri on Feb. 24.
“He had turned his ankle early in the game,” Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes said on Feb. 27. “”I will say this, most guys probably wouldn’t have tried to fight through it, but he did. It thought it slowed him down some.
“We didn’t do much with him yesterday, and we’ll just see from here how it goes today.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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