What’s wrong with Nate Ament? How injury is impacting Tennessee star’s minutes in March Madness

What’s wrong with Nate Ament? How injury is impacting Tennessee star’s minutes in March Madness originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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For nearly a month, Tennessee Volunteers star forward Nate Ament has been dealing with an injury.

Ament, the Vols’ second-leading scorer in 2025-26 as a freshman, has proven to be one of the SEC’s best players when on the court. But lately, including in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, that availability has been the issue.

Ever since a February ankle injury, Ament has been on and off the court — including a minutes restriction that will likely continue until Tennessee’s season ends.

Here’s what to know about Ament’s injury and how it’s impacting his playing time.

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Why is Nate Ament not playing?

Ament has been dealing with a leg/ankle injury since late February. Initially, it sidelined him, as he missed around two weeks of the regular season, then made his return for the second round of the SEC Tournament.

However, while Ament has been able to play through the injury lately, he’s also been playing in limited spurts. In Tennessee’s first-round win in the NCAA Tournament over Miami (OH), head coach Rick Barnes said Ament wouldn’t be 100 percent until the season was over — but suggested the forward will continue to play through his pain and that if it were up to Ament, he would play as much as possible.

“It’s a problem,” Barnes said of Ament’s injury, per Saturday Down South. “Nate is one of the toughest kids I have ever coached. We played every minute ever since he hurt his ankle in the Alabama game and got his knee rolled up on. Doctors knew we had to get him as healthy as we possibly could, but when you have a sprain the nature that he has, it won’t be healthy until he gets time off at the end of the year.”

Rick Barnes says Nate Ament (ankle) ‘is not going to be 100% healthy until the season’s over’ pic.twitter.com/c3gFfVTzXc

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 20, 2026

Ament initially appeared as if he was back to his typical form when he returned from injury vs. Auburn earlier in March, posting 27 points and eight rebounds. But he has not looked the same since.

In 30 minutes against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, Ament shot 1-for-13 from the floor, despite 11 rebounds. And against Miami (OH), Ament was limited to just 18 minutes, in which he did not score any points on three shot attempts. In that game, he also had a brief exit due to soreness, which he later spoke about.

Nate Ament had a brief exit during the #Vols‘ NCAA Tournament game vs Miami due to soreness.

“Our athletic trainer and our strength coaches decided it was best for me to get started on the recovery process.”

More: https://t.co/jZYy2jGwVvpic.twitter.com/yPIow8ktcz

— Paige Dauer (@PaigeDauerFDP) March 21, 2026

Projected as a 2026 NBA lottery pick, Ament hasn’t been able to play to his best ability recently, which appears set to continue through the rest of the NCAA Tournament in some fashion.

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What is Nate Ament’s injury?

Ament has been dealing with a right leg injury, which Rick Barnes described as an ankle sprain, since Feb. 28, when an Alabama player fell on his leg, causing it to bend.

Nate Ament gets rolled up on and has to leave the game 🥺

He walked off under his own power, but is not on the Tennessee bench pic.twitter.com/uz12IcBcbN

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 28, 2026

Ament left that game after initially returning to the floor in the second half. And afterward, he missed the end of the regular season for Tennessee before returning in limited fashion.

How long was Nate Ament out for?

Ament initially left the Feb. 28 game against Alabama with his leg injury, and he missed the following two Volunteers games to end the regular season. He returned for their SEC Tournament opener against Auburn, posting 27 points and appearing healthy.

But after struggling vs. Vanderbilt in the next round, a loss for Tennessee, Ament has continued to deal with the effects of his injury despite being on the court.

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Nate Ament stats

Throughout his freshman season, Ament has remained one of the best forwards in the country. Until recently, he was Tennessee’s leading scorer, before his absence resulted in Ja’Kobi Gillespie stepping up more.

Here’s a look at Ament’s season numbers:

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