Nate Ament will not play in Tennessee basketball’s next game and it’s unclear how long he will be sidelined.
“Ament is out due to a right leg injury sustained Saturday against Alabama,” the school said in a release on March 2. “The timetable for his return is to be determined and he will continue to be evaluated.”
The No. 25 Vols (20-9, 10-6 SEC) will be without their second-leading scorer on March 3 against South Carolina (12-17, 3-13) at Colonial Life Arena (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network). He did not practice with the team on March 2.
This will be Ament’s first missed game of the season. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 29 games.
Clarence Massamba was also listed out with a right hip injury.
Ament suffered multiple injuries in his last two games. He landed awkwardly on his right ankle in the loss to Missouri on Feb. 24.
Then, against Alabama on Feb. 28, the 6-foot-10 freshman injured his knee in a scrum while fighting for a loose ball.
Freshman guard Amari Evans stepped in for the injured Ament and played a career-high 28 minutes. Evans may be the top option to replace Ament in the starting lineup against the Gamecocks.
Tennessee finishes its regular season on March 7 against No. 22 Vanderbilt at Food City Center. The SEC Tournament begins on March 11. The Vols are currently fifth in the conference standings, which would grant them a first-round bye.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: [email protected]
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