Nate Ament's SEC Tourney Heroics, NCAA Tournament Ahead

0:00On March 16, Tennessee's freshman standout Nate Ammon played a whopping 62 minutes across two days in the SEC tournament last week, pushing through a recent right leg injury. He logged 32 minutes in a win over Auburn on Thursday, dropping 27 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and blocking 3 shots to fuel. A big comeback. The next day against Vanderbilt, he added 30 more minutes in a quarter final loss. Coach Rick Barnes wondered if the team's medical staff fully approved that heavy workload, especially after a 10-day layoff. Still, he called his smart for knocking off rest, noting Ammon insisted on playing despite some soreness. Ammon C. H. Schone against Auburn, but struggled versus Vanderbilt, shooting just 1 for 13, while still posting a double-double with 12 points, and 11 rebounds, mostly from free throws. He owned the rough night without blaming his leg. Now with a full week to heal, the 6th seeded Vols opened the NCAA Tournament Friday in

1:02Philadelphia against the winner of Miami of Ohio and Southern. Methodist from the first four. That extra rest can make all the difference as they chase a deep run.