The Tennessee Volunteers are set to begin their quest for a National Championship in the NCAA Men’s Tournament on Friday afternoon. The No. 6 seed Tennessee Vols take on the No. 11 seed Miami Ohio. Here’s everything you need to know about the injury report.
The Tennessee Volunteers are set to face off against the Miami (OH) Redhawks on Friday at 4:20 PM EST. This Redhawks squad is (32-1) on the year and are fresh off a 89 to 79 win over Dayton on the 18th in the First Four play-in game. So, they are a confident team to say the least.
Vols’ star forward, Nate Ament, has been out of the lineup for the Vols for the better part of the last two weeks due to an ankle injury. However, Ament, according to reports, practiced this week during the Vols’ final practice in the lead up to Friday’s contest.
Ament is pivotal to the Vols’ chances to make any type of run this tournament. He’s averaged 17.9 PPG and nearly seven rebounds. He’s not just a scorer, however. At 6’10, he’s another tremendous presence in the paint defensively for the Vols alongside Felix Okpara and J.P. Estrella. The three of them combine for nearly 2.0 blocks and 16.0 rebounds combined per game.
Ament told reporters, “Yeah, for sure, I wanted to play the next game after the injury to Vanderbilt.” So, it sounds like he’s going to be good to go on Friday for the Vols.
Apart from Ament, the Vols appear to be entering the tournament rather healthy. Ament has averaged 30.2 minutes per game in 31 games played this season, only second to Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
As for Miami of Ohio, they appear to be healthy after their win over Dayton. The RedHawks shot 45% from the field vs Dayton, hitting 16 of 41 shots from behind the arc. If Tennessee wants to make it to the second round, they will need to hold this Miami team to considerably less than that. RedHawks guard, Eian Elmer made 8/11 vs Dayton, and has averaged 44.7% from the three on the season.
It’s a DEEP Miami team, with (7) RedHawks averaging 10.0+ PPG on the season. They shoot 52.4% from the field and 39.2% from behind the arc. The Vols will need Ament healthy, but they will need perhaps their best collective defensive effort of the season.