Nate Ament injury updates: Latest news on Tennessee star and potential lottery pick dealing with leg injury

Tennessee’s postseason outlook took a concerning turn on Saturday as star freshman Nate Ament was forced to exit the No. 22 Volunteers' matchup against No. 17 Alabama with a lower-body injury.

The 6-foot-10 lottery prospect appeared to have his right leg pinned during a first-half scrum for a loose ball, and while he briefly attempted to return at the start of the second half, he was quickly pulled from the game and missed the rest of the regular season campaign

Though, with the Volunteers in Nashville for the SEC Tournament, Ament is expected to return.

Here's the latest on Ament's status as he recovers from an injury.

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Nate Ament injury updates

Mar. 12, 10:06 A.M. ET -- Tennessee's star is expected to make his return on Thursday for the SEC Tournament, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

With the Volunteers opening its campaign in Nashville against the Auburn Tigers, Ament is listed as questionable. According to Thamel, "There’s no certainly how many minutes he’ll go, but the expectation now is that he’ll play."

Mar. 6, 8:20 P.M. ET -- Ament is listed as doubtful to play against Vanderbilt as he recovers from a leg injury, ESPN's Pete Thamel reports. The freshman big man's next opportunity to play would come mid-week in the SEC Tournament. 

Mar. 3, 8:26 P.M. ET -- After Tennessee's win against South Carolina on Tuesday, Barnes said he "absolutely believes" Ament will play again this season.

Rick Barnes believes Nate Ament “absolutely” will play again this season for Tennessee, the Vols coach said Tuesday.@GrantRamey with the update from Columbia, where the Vols smashed South Carolina without Ament.https://t.co/O6GLdvzTqr

The Volunteers have one more game in the regular season against Vanderbilt on Saturday before the SEC Tournament.

Mar. 1 10:37 AM. ET -- After the game, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes gave a rambling answer about Ament's injury. Barnes was asked about whether Ament made the injury worse by briefly re-entering the game, "No, I think when he hurt his knee a little bit. But I did think he did tweak the foot he had turned at Missouri, that ankle. He tried. If he can’t go, he can’t go. There’s no one tougher than him.”

This answer didn't provide much of a diagnosis, and Ament may be dealing with both a banged up knee and ankle now. 

Feb. 28 8:30 PM ET -- Though he did not return to game action, Ament did make his way back to the bench in Tennessee's 71-69 loss. He was on the court for warmups in the second half, but it did not result in any game time.

Nate Ament returns to the bench, but is doubtful to return to the game. #Vols pic.twitter.com/0SvdIDh2xh

This section will continue to be updated with the latest available information.

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What happened to Nate Ament?

In No. 22 Tennessee's game against No. 17 Alabama, the star freshman Ament was forced to leave the court after suffering a right leg injury with 7:42 remaining in the first half. The injury occurred during a scrum for a loose ball when an Alabama player fell on Ament's leg, causing it to bend awkwardly.

While Ament was able to walk to the locker room under his own power and briefly returned to play two minutes at the start of the second half, he was quickly pulled from the game again. A Tennessee spokesperson listed him as doubtful to return. Before the injury, the 6-foot-10 forward had recorded three rebounds and one basket.

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Nate Ament stats

Ament has been a standout performer for No. 22 Tennessee during his 2025-26 freshman campaign. Prior to his exit in today's game against Alabama, he was averaging 17.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.