Tennessee's Nate Ament Receives Injury Update Ahead of Auburn Clash in SEC Tournament

The No. 15-seeded Auburn Tigers face No. 5-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday afternoon, and the Volunteers’ star freshman could see limited time.

Tennessee forward Nate Ament has been officially listed as questionable entering Thursday, per the SEC availability report on Wednesday. He injured his right leg in the Vols’ matchup against Alabama on Feb. 28, and the freshman has missed two games since sustaining the injury.

According to ESPN reporter Pete Thamel, despite missing the last couple of outings, Ament practiced with the team in Nashville on Wednesday and is ultimately expected to play against Auburn.

“Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament is expected to play against Auburn today in the SEC quarterfinals. He’s listed as questionable. There’s no certainty how many minutes he’ll go, but the expectation now is that he’ll play,” Thamel reported via X.

Source: Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament is expected to play against Auburn today in the SEC quarterfinals. He’s listed as questionable. There’s no certainly how many minutes he’ll go, but the expectation now is that he’ll play. pic.twitter.com/3m3wenxqZv
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 12, 2026

Ament has proven to be one of the most impressive freshman – and overall players – that college basketball has seen this season. ESPN’s NBA mock draft features Ament being taken at No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bulls.

The true freshman ranks second in scoring for Tennessee, as he averages 17.4 points per game in 29 games played. Starting point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who’s posting 18.0 per outing, is the only Volunteer with more. Ament is also contributing 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 blocks for the Volunteers.

In the last meeting between Auburn and Tennessee, Ament played a massive role in the Volunteers’ 77-69 win in Knoxville in January, as he led all players in scoring 22 points and also posting eight rebounds. Ament went just 4-for-16 from the field, including 2-for-6 from behind the arc, but he attempted 15 total free throws on the night. He made 12 of them, demonstrating an obvious mismatch down low against Auburn’s bigs.

Ament may see action, but the amount of minutes he’ll actually play is still in question. He’s a huge asset to the Volunteers on both ends of the floor, and Auburn could certainly find an advantage if he’s not 100% healthy.

Auburn and Tennessee are set to tip off at 2 p.m. CDT on the SEC Network, and the winner will face No. 4-seeded Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.