Tennessee's Nate Ament Stretch of Recent Performances Shows Promising Future

Tennessee basketball freshman Nate Ament has been on another level over the last few games.

Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) rests his hands on his knees during a NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 31, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming out of high school, Nate Ament was a top-five player in the country and the highest-ranked player in the state of Virginia (per On3 Sports). Multiple top programs across the country went heavily after the 6-foot-10 forward, but he would end up signing with Tennessee. When he committed to Tennessee, expectations for the 5-star were through the roof. Despite these high expectations, he has exceeded almost every single one. 

Ament dropped 18 points and nine boards in his first college game as the Vols would defeat Mercer 76-61. His hot start continued over the next few contests with point totals of 23, 19, 19 again, and 15. 

In spite of this, he had yet to play a Power Four program. That changed when the Vols played in the Players Era Festival, as Tennessee played three good Power Four schools. The first was against Rutgers, where he went for 20 points on 50% shooting. The second game was against Houston, which ended up being arguably his worst game in a Vols uniform; he shot just 1-8 with nine points total. Ament responded by dropping 20 points, although the Vols would lose their first game of the season in the third-place game against Kansas. 

Ament seemed to hit a rough patch over the next seven games. He only scored over 10 points in four of those games and never scored more than 16 points. 

Ament Taking His Game to a Different Level

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes talks to Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) during a NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 31, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since then, Ament has looked like one of, if not the best, players in the SEC. He put up 17 points despite the team not having its best night in a loss to Florida. He followed that up with a 23-point performance in a crucial double overtime victory over Texas A&M. Ament had another 17-point game against Kentucky.

The best game of his career came against Alabama last week. He put up a career high of 29 points while shooting 50% from the field in the win. 

Again, he played another great game in overtime, when the Vols defeated UGA 86-85. He had 19 points and six rebounds in the upset win.

To cap off a three-game win streak, Ament balled-out with 22 points in a victory over Auburn. 

Over the last three games, Ament has averaged 21 points and seven rebounds. His stellar performances have propelled the Vols to new levels, and with the SEC tournament and March Madness right around the corner, Ament will have to be at the top of his game if the Vols are to make a deep run in both tournaments.

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