University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Tuscaloosa, AL
8:30 PM ET
University of Tennessee
13-6,3-3SEC
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73
Alabama
13-6,3-3SEC
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Tennessee
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Alabama
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Ament Scores 29, as Vols Claim 79-73 Road Win at #17 Alabama
January 24, 2026 | Men's Basketball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Tennessee men's basketball team rallied back from an early 10-point deficit to register a top-20 road victory Saturday night, knocking off No. 17 Alabama, 79-73, at Coleman Coliseum.
Freshman forward Nate Ament produced a career- and game-high 29 points for Tennessee (13-6, 3-3 SEC) in its fifth consecutive series triumph.
Alabama (13-6, 3-3 SEC) rebounded each of its first five misses, leading to an 8-2 edge in second-chance points after just 4:15 of action. The strong start on the offensive glass helped the Crimson Tide build a game-best 10-point lead, 22-12, with 9:38 left in the half, at which time graduate guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., already had 11 points.
The Volunteers responded with a 10-2 run over 2:06—it featured the team's first two 3-point makes of the night and seven straight points in 60 seconds—to pull within two, 24-22, just two-and-a-half minutes later. The two sides played nearly evenly the rest of the session and Alabama, which got just two offensive boards in the final 15 minutes of the frame, took a 39-36 advantage into the break.
Tennessee scored the first four points of the second half to claim a 40-39 advantage with 18:24 remaining, its first lead since the score was 4-2. After an Alabama basket, the Volunteers scored seven straight points in 76 seconds to go up by six, 47-41, with 16:33 on the timer.
The Crimson Tide responded with nine of the next 12 points to pull level at 50 with 14:34 to go, during a stretch in which it made five field goals in a row. The home team regained the lead, 62-60, on a three-point play by senior center Charles Bediako with 9:55 to play. Tennessee went back in front just 96 seconds after that and pushed the margin to a game-high seven, 70-63, with 6:34 remaining after scoring six consecutive points in 60 seconds.
Alabama scored five points in a row to make it 70-68 just 48 ticks later, but Tennessee countered with seven of the next nine to again go up by seven, 77-70, with 4:08 to play. Sophomore forward Aiden Sherrell connected on a 3-pointer to make it a four-point game 57 seconds later and then neither team scored for nearly three minutes.
Sophomore guard Bishop Boswell hit a free throw with 19 seconds to go, senior forward Felix Okpara blocked a 3-pointer at the other end and then senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie added another free throw with 7.8 ticks on the clock to close it out. Alabama scored just three points in the final 5:10 on its home court.
Ament's 29 points came on 10-of-20 field-goal shooting, with his 10 makes a career high. He became the first Tennessee freshman to score 29-plus points since Feb. 10, 2021, and the first to make double-digit field goals since Dec. 4, 2021. Ament shot 2-of-3 from deep and 7-of-9 at the line, too.
The Manassas, Va., native, who scored 18 of his points in the second half, added seven rebounds and three assists, while committing just one turnover in 38 minutes of action. Ament became just the sixth SEC freshman—seventh occurrence—in the last 20 seasons to post 29 points, seven boards and three assists in a game, joining Tre Johnson, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ben Simmons (twice) and Terrence Jones. He is the first of the group to achieve the feat on the road against a ranked team and just the first freshman from any Division I league to do that since Chase Budinger on Feb. 10, 2007.
Gillespie accumulated 24 points in the win, his ninth time scoring 20-plus this season. He had four assists, three rebounds and two steals, as well as committed just two giveaways in 38 minutes of court time.
Sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr., led the Crimson Tide with 26 points and added a game-high seven assists. Tennessee held him to a 7-of-20 clip from the field, including a 2-of-9 mark beyond the arc, but he went 10-of-11 at the free-throw line.
After his hot start, Wrightsell finished with 14 points, as the Volunteers limited him to just three in the final 29-plus minutes. Bediako, playing in his first collegiate game since March 24, 2023, totaled 13 points on a 5-of-6 field-goal clip.
Tennessee allowed just three offensive rebounds in the second half, as Alabama ended the night with 10, half of which came in the opening four-plus minutes.
The Volunteers shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (6-of-18) on 3-pointers. Both teams had the same amount of long-range makes, but the Crimson Tide had a 23.1 percent (6-of-26) register. The six 3-point makes were Alabama's fewest since March 21, 2025.
Tennessee is scheduled to be back in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a second consecutive road game when it meets No. 21/22 Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., live on SEC Network.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes now owns 849 victories in his career, one shy of John Calipari for first among all active Division I head coaches and for ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• Saturday marked the 1,278th game of Barnes' career, tying him with Rollie Massimino for the ninth-most all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• The Volunteers improved to 7-3 in the last 10 series meeting with the Crimson Tide, including a perfect 5-0 in the past five.
• Tennessee has now won five-plus consecutive games over Alabama for the third time, including the first since a nine-game streak from Jan. 6, 1968, to Jan. 29, 1972.
• Eleven of the last 13 series meetings, including nine of the past 10, have now been determined by single-digit points.
• The Volunteers have now held Alabama to 76 or fewer points in all nine series meetings and to 70.9 points per game during head coach Nate Oats' tenure with the Crimson Tide (2019-26), during which the Crimson Tide average 85.4 points per game against all other teams.
• Saturday marked just the second regular season game Tennessee has played in the last six seasons (2020-26) during which it was unranked in the AP Poll, alongside a 65-54 home win over Florida on March 7, 2021.
• The Volunteers now owns 33 victories over AP top-25 foes in the last five seasons (2021-26), two more than any other team in the country.
• Tennessee also now possesses 29 AP top-25 victories in the past five years (2021-26), two more than any other program in the nation.
• The Volunteers improved to 47-45 against AP top-25 competition in the Barnes era (2015-26), including 31-18 since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee now has a 41-37 record versus AP top-20 teams in Barnes' tenure, including a 27-14 mark since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 18 of 19 games this year, with 15-plus in 11 outings, 18-plus five times and 20-plus four times, with a high of 24.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 16 of 19 contests, with 42-plus in 10, 47-plus in seven and 50-plus in five, with a top tally of 60.
• Tennessee now has three wins this season when trailing by double figures, with one on a neutral floor, one at home and one on the road.
• Alabama's six made 3-pointers—two below its prior season low—were its fewest since going 6-of-21 against Robert Morris on March 21, 2025, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland.
• Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, in his 45th appearance, tallied the first start of his career, becoming the 10th different Volunteer to start this year.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2006-26), the only other SEC freshmen to record 29 points, seven boards and three assists in a contest are Ament, Texas' Tre Johnson (Feb. 15, 2025, versus Kentucky), Georgia's Anthony Edwards (Feb. 26, 2020, at South Carolina in an overtime game), Kentucky's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (March 11, 2018, versus Tennessee in St. Louis), LSU's Ben Simmons (Jan. 2, 2016, at Vanderbilt and Dec. 2, 2015, versus North Florida) and Kentucky's Terrence Jones (Nov. 22, 2010, versus Oklahoma in Maui, Hawaii).
• Across those two decades, Ament, Johnson and Simmons are the only three to achieve the feat in a conference regulation game, while Ament is the only one to post that line on the road against a ranked team.
• The only other Division I freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 29 points, seven rebounds and three assists on the road against a ranked team is Arizona's Chase Budinger, who hit those numbers on Feb. 10, 2007, at Oregon.
• Ament registered 17-plus points for the 10th time in his young career, including hitting that mark for the fourth game in a row.
• Saturday also marked the fifth 20-point performance for Ament, including his second in the last three outings and first on the road.
• The 29 points for Ament set a new career best, surpassing his previous top tally of 23 recorded both Nov. 8 versus Northern Kentucky and Jan. 13 against Texas A&M in a double-overtime affair.
• Ament's 10 made field goals set a new career high, eclipsing his prior top mark of seven set both Nov. 24 against Rutgers in Las Vegas and Jan. 13 versus Texas A&M in a double-overtime game.
• The last Tennessee freshman with even 25 points in a game was Julian Phillips, who did so in an overtime win over Southern Cal on Nov. 24, 2022, in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
• The most recent Volunteer freshman with 29-plus points was Jaden Springer, who scored 30 against Georgia on Feb. 10, 2021.
• Over the last 20 years (2006-26), the only Tennessee freshmen to score at least 29 points in a game are Ament, the aforementioned Springer and Grant Williams, the latter of whom did so twice, scoring 30 on both Feb. 11, 2017, against Georgia and on Dec. 15, 2016, versus Lipscomb.
• The last time a Tennessee freshman made double-digit field goals in a game was on Dec. 4, 2021, when Kennedy Chandler hit 13 at Colorado.
• The only Tennessee freshmen in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to make 10-plus field goals in a game are Ament, the aforementioned Chandler, the aforementioned Williams (same games as his 30-point showings) and Tobias Harris, the latter of whom did so on March 11, 2011, versus Florida in the SEC Tournament in Atlanta.
• Ament and Williams (twice) are the only Volunteer freshmen in the last two decades with 29-plus points and 10-plus made field goals in a single game.
• Gillespie amassed the 23rd 20-point showing of his career, including his ninth this season as a Volunteer.
Freshman forward Nate Ament produced a career- and game-high 29 points for Tennessee (13-6, 3-3 SEC) in its fifth consecutive series triumph.
Alabama (13-6, 3-3 SEC) rebounded each of its first five misses, leading to an 8-2 edge in second-chance points after just 4:15 of action. The strong start on the offensive glass helped the Crimson Tide build a game-best 10-point lead, 22-12, with 9:38 left in the half, at which time graduate guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., already had 11 points.
The Volunteers responded with a 10-2 run over 2:06—it featured the team's first two 3-point makes of the night and seven straight points in 60 seconds—to pull within two, 24-22, just two-and-a-half minutes later. The two sides played nearly evenly the rest of the session and Alabama, which got just two offensive boards in the final 15 minutes of the frame, took a 39-36 advantage into the break.
Tennessee scored the first four points of the second half to claim a 40-39 advantage with 18:24 remaining, its first lead since the score was 4-2. After an Alabama basket, the Volunteers scored seven straight points in 76 seconds to go up by six, 47-41, with 16:33 on the timer.
The Crimson Tide responded with nine of the next 12 points to pull level at 50 with 14:34 to go, during a stretch in which it made five field goals in a row. The home team regained the lead, 62-60, on a three-point play by senior center Charles Bediako with 9:55 to play. Tennessee went back in front just 96 seconds after that and pushed the margin to a game-high seven, 70-63, with 6:34 remaining after scoring six consecutive points in 60 seconds.
Alabama scored five points in a row to make it 70-68 just 48 ticks later, but Tennessee countered with seven of the next nine to again go up by seven, 77-70, with 4:08 to play. Sophomore forward Aiden Sherrell connected on a 3-pointer to make it a four-point game 57 seconds later and then neither team scored for nearly three minutes.
Sophomore guard Bishop Boswell hit a free throw with 19 seconds to go, senior forward Felix Okpara blocked a 3-pointer at the other end and then senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie added another free throw with 7.8 ticks on the clock to close it out. Alabama scored just three points in the final 5:10 on its home court.
Ament's 29 points came on 10-of-20 field-goal shooting, with his 10 makes a career high. He became the first Tennessee freshman to score 29-plus points since Feb. 10, 2021, and the first to make double-digit field goals since Dec. 4, 2021. Ament shot 2-of-3 from deep and 7-of-9 at the line, too.
The Manassas, Va., native, who scored 18 of his points in the second half, added seven rebounds and three assists, while committing just one turnover in 38 minutes of action. Ament became just the sixth SEC freshman—seventh occurrence—in the last 20 seasons to post 29 points, seven boards and three assists in a game, joining Tre Johnson, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ben Simmons (twice) and Terrence Jones. He is the first of the group to achieve the feat on the road against a ranked team and just the first freshman from any Division I league to do that since Chase Budinger on Feb. 10, 2007.
Gillespie accumulated 24 points in the win, his ninth time scoring 20-plus this season. He had four assists, three rebounds and two steals, as well as committed just two giveaways in 38 minutes of court time.
Sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr., led the Crimson Tide with 26 points and added a game-high seven assists. Tennessee held him to a 7-of-20 clip from the field, including a 2-of-9 mark beyond the arc, but he went 10-of-11 at the free-throw line.
After his hot start, Wrightsell finished with 14 points, as the Volunteers limited him to just three in the final 29-plus minutes. Bediako, playing in his first collegiate game since March 24, 2023, totaled 13 points on a 5-of-6 field-goal clip.
Tennessee allowed just three offensive rebounds in the second half, as Alabama ended the night with 10, half of which came in the opening four-plus minutes.
The Volunteers shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (6-of-18) on 3-pointers. Both teams had the same amount of long-range makes, but the Crimson Tide had a 23.1 percent (6-of-26) register. The six 3-point makes were Alabama's fewest since March 21, 2025.
Tennessee is scheduled to be back in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a second consecutive road game when it meets No. 21/22 Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., live on SEC Network.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES
• Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes now owns 849 victories in his career, one shy of John Calipari for first among all active Division I head coaches and for ninth place all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• Saturday marked the 1,278th game of Barnes' career, tying him with Rollie Massimino for the ninth-most all-time (min. 10 years in Division I).
• The Volunteers improved to 7-3 in the last 10 series meeting with the Crimson Tide, including a perfect 5-0 in the past five.
• Tennessee has now won five-plus consecutive games over Alabama for the third time, including the first since a nine-game streak from Jan. 6, 1968, to Jan. 29, 1972.
• Eleven of the last 13 series meetings, including nine of the past 10, have now been determined by single-digit points.
• The Volunteers have now held Alabama to 76 or fewer points in all nine series meetings and to 70.9 points per game during head coach Nate Oats' tenure with the Crimson Tide (2019-26), during which the Crimson Tide average 85.4 points per game against all other teams.
• Saturday marked just the second regular season game Tennessee has played in the last six seasons (2020-26) during which it was unranked in the AP Poll, alongside a 65-54 home win over Florida on March 7, 2021.
• The Volunteers now owns 33 victories over AP top-25 foes in the last five seasons (2021-26), two more than any other team in the country.
• Tennessee also now possesses 29 AP top-25 victories in the past five years (2021-26), two more than any other program in the nation.
• The Volunteers improved to 47-45 against AP top-25 competition in the Barnes era (2015-26), including 31-18 since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee now has a 41-37 record versus AP top-20 teams in Barnes' tenure, including a 27-14 mark since Jan. 22, 2022.
• Tennessee has logged double-digit offensive rebounds in 18 of 19 games this year, with 15-plus in 11 outings, 18-plus five times and 20-plus four times, with a high of 24.
• The Volunteers have grabbed at least 35 total boards in 16 of 19 contests, with 42-plus in 10, 47-plus in seven and 50-plus in five, with a top tally of 60.
• Tennessee now has three wins this season when trailing by double figures, with one on a neutral floor, one at home and one on the road.
• Alabama's six made 3-pointers—two below its prior season low—were its fewest since going 6-of-21 against Robert Morris on March 21, 2025, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Cleveland.
• Redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella, in his 45th appearance, tallied the first start of his career, becoming the 10th different Volunteer to start this year.
• Over the last 20 seasons (2006-26), the only other SEC freshmen to record 29 points, seven boards and three assists in a contest are Ament, Texas' Tre Johnson (Feb. 15, 2025, versus Kentucky), Georgia's Anthony Edwards (Feb. 26, 2020, at South Carolina in an overtime game), Kentucky's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (March 11, 2018, versus Tennessee in St. Louis), LSU's Ben Simmons (Jan. 2, 2016, at Vanderbilt and Dec. 2, 2015, versus North Florida) and Kentucky's Terrence Jones (Nov. 22, 2010, versus Oklahoma in Maui, Hawaii).
• Across those two decades, Ament, Johnson and Simmons are the only three to achieve the feat in a conference regulation game, while Ament is the only one to post that line on the road against a ranked team.
• The only other Division I freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) with 29 points, seven rebounds and three assists on the road against a ranked team is Arizona's Chase Budinger, who hit those numbers on Feb. 10, 2007, at Oregon.
• Ament registered 17-plus points for the 10th time in his young career, including hitting that mark for the fourth game in a row.
• Saturday also marked the fifth 20-point performance for Ament, including his second in the last three outings and first on the road.
• The 29 points for Ament set a new career best, surpassing his previous top tally of 23 recorded both Nov. 8 versus Northern Kentucky and Jan. 13 against Texas A&M in a double-overtime affair.
• Ament's 10 made field goals set a new career high, eclipsing his prior top mark of seven set both Nov. 24 against Rutgers in Las Vegas and Jan. 13 versus Texas A&M in a double-overtime game.
• The last Tennessee freshman with even 25 points in a game was Julian Phillips, who did so in an overtime win over Southern Cal on Nov. 24, 2022, in Paradise Island, Bahamas.
• The most recent Volunteer freshman with 29-plus points was Jaden Springer, who scored 30 against Georgia on Feb. 10, 2021.
• Over the last 20 years (2006-26), the only Tennessee freshmen to score at least 29 points in a game are Ament, the aforementioned Springer and Grant Williams, the latter of whom did so twice, scoring 30 on both Feb. 11, 2017, against Georgia and on Dec. 15, 2016, versus Lipscomb.
• The last time a Tennessee freshman made double-digit field goals in a game was on Dec. 4, 2021, when Kennedy Chandler hit 13 at Colorado.
• The only Tennessee freshmen in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to make 10-plus field goals in a game are Ament, the aforementioned Chandler, the aforementioned Williams (same games as his 30-point showings) and Tobias Harris, the latter of whom did so on March 11, 2011, versus Florida in the SEC Tournament in Atlanta.
• Ament and Williams (twice) are the only Volunteer freshmen in the last two decades with 29-plus points and 10-plus made field goals in a single game.
• Gillespie amassed the 23rd 20-point showing of his career, including his ninth this season as a Volunteer.
Team Stats
UT
UA
FG%
.467
.431
3FG%
.333
.231
FT%
.680
.708
RB
42
33
TO
10
7
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
29
FGM
10
3FGM
2
FTM
7
Pts
24
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
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/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's BasketballMBB | Nate Ament Postgame at Alabama (1.24.26)
Sunday, January 25
MBB | Ja'Kobi Gillespie Postgame at Alabama (1.24.26)
Sunday, January 25
MBB | Rick Barnes Postgame at Alabama (1.24.26)
Sunday, January 25
MBB | Highlights: Tennessee 79, Alabama 73
Saturday, January 24
