PHILADELPHIA − Tennessee basketball proved it could win a March Madness game without freshman star Nate Ament.
The Vols would prefer not to do it again.
Ament had his first scoreless game of the season on March 20 as No. 6 Tennessee (23-11) blew past No. 11 Miami of Ohio (32-2), 78-56, in the first round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
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The 6-foot-10 forward is still dealing with a right ankle sprain he suffered almost a month ago on Feb. 24 at Missouri. The injury caused him to miss the final two games of the regular season and hampered his play in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal loss against Vanderbilt.
Ament went 0-of-3 shooting in the first half against the RedHawks. He started in the second half, but went to the tunnel after four minutes of play.
“I went back to the tunnel to get movement so I could come back into the game,” Ament explained.
By the time he emerged, Tennessee was nursing a 20-point lead. Ament finished with three rebounds, three turnovers, an assist and a block.
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“He’s not going to be 100% healthy until the season is over because he had that ankle sprain where he had it,” said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. “He tries. I was watching him in practice just doing some basic stuff and he never says a word, but I could see on his face he was wincing a little bit. Right now he needs as much rest as he can, but he’ll do everything he can to be ready.”
Ament admitted his ankle felt sore after the SEC Tournament and practices, but diminished concerns about his availability. He expects to play on March 22 when Tennessee battles No. 3 Virginia (30-5) for a spot in the Sweet 16.
“I’m not really concerned with it,” Ament said. “I know that regardless, I’m going to play. There’s no chance I’d sit out a March Madness game. It’s about what can we do to get back to 100%, or as close to it as we can.”
Several Vols stepped up to support Ament’s lack of offensive production. J.P. Estrella finished with a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Felix Okpara had 12 points and five rebounds. Amari Evans and Ethan Burg combined for 13 points off the bench.
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“I know that with every single position we got on this team, there’s another person ready on the bench to come in and pick up where the other man left off,” Ament said. “It puts less pressure on me. … I think I was, for the most part, locked in defensively except for a few possessions. Overall it wasn’t a really good game for me by any means.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nate Ament didn’t score for Tennessee in March Madness opener. Should fans be worried?
