Nate Ament injury update: Tennessee star freshman reveals his health status for NCAA Tournament

Tennessee star freshman forward Nate Ament looks to be a full go for the Volunteers’ 2026 NCAA Tournament run. It’s music to Tennessee fans’ ears.

Ament missed Tennessee‘s final two regular season games with a shoulder injury he sustained in the Volunteers’ 71-69 loss to No. 17 Alabama on Feb. 28. He, however, returned with a vengeance for Tennessee‘s SEC Tournament Quarterfinal game against Auburn. Ament scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

His last game didn’t quite go so well, though. Tennessee fell to rival No. 22 Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament Semifinals, in a game in which he shot just 1-13 from the floor and scored just 12 points. Heading into the Tournament, Tennessee sits at 22-11 and earned a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region.

During Ament’s media opportunity on Thursday, he was asked about his health heading into Friday’s Round of 64 matchup against No. 11 seed Miami (OH).

“Yeah, for sure,” Ament responded when asked if it felt good knocking the rust off in the SEC Tournament. “I wanted to play the next game after the injury after Vanderbilt. It was good for me to get out there and get some reps under my belt and get prepared for the tournament.”

Tennessee entering eighth NCAA Tournament under Rick Barnes

Tennessee is embarking on its eighth NCAA Tournament (sixth consecutive) run of the Rick Barnes era. The Volunteers have enjoyed back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, but haven’t quite broke through to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Under Barnes’ guidance, Tennessee has appeared in four Sweet Sixteens and two Elite Eights. The program is seeking four consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances for the first time ever, and three consecutive Elite Eight appearances for the first time ever.

Strong play from Ament will be key in ensuring Tennessee enjoys a prolonged run in the Big Dance. In games, the star freshman has scored 20 points this season, the ‘Vols are 9-2. In games that Ament and All-SEC First Team teammate Ja’Kobi Gillespie have both scored at least 15 points, Tennessee is 13-3 this season.

The Volunteers will be going up against No. 11 seed Miami (OH), which improved to 32-1 on the season following its 89-79 win over No. 11 SMU in Wednesday night’s First Four matchup. In that game, the Redhawks made a First Four record 16 three-pointers. Tennessee has lost just one Round of 64 game under Barnes (No. 12 seed Oregon State in 2021).