Tennessee Star Nate Ament Leaves Game vs. Alabama, Doubtful to Return With Leg Injury

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No. 22 Tennessee played host to No. 17 Alabama in one of the games of the day in the SEC on Saturday, and the Vols will leave the contest with plenty of injury questions around star freshman forward Nate Ament.
Ament, who entered the contest averaging 17.9 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Volunteers, played just 11 first half minutes on Saturday evening before leaving the game with a lower leg injury. And boy, it did not look pretty.
Nate Ament gets rolled up on and has to leave the game 🥺
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 28, 2026
He walked off under his own power, but is not on the Tennessee bench pic.twitter.com/uz12IcBcbN
Ament hobbled to the bench, and was initially ruled as questionable to return. However, after attempting to warm up to begin the second half, Ament was listed as doubtful to return to the contest.
Update: Nate Ament (leg) is now doubtful to return, school spokesperson told ESPN. https://t.co/FECHz2AmFr
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 1, 2026
Given how the play looked, Ament's condition will be worth monitoring. He's one of the top freshman in the country and will be key to Tennessee's NCAA tournament aspirations down the stretch of the season.
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Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.
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