Auburn basketball looks to win its fifth straight conference game on the road in its matchup against Tennessee on Saturday evening.
In the Tigers’ way is 5-star freshman Nate Ament who Auburn coach Steven Pearl compares to a former Auburn basketball great.
“So, if you were going to compare him to somebody, he’s not as good of a shooter as [Jabari Smith], but like he’s got a lot of that in his game,” Pearl said Friday morning. “That’s what makes him such a tough matchup because if you put a guard on him, he’s just going to post them. You put a big on him, he’s able to drive around you.”
Ament is listed at 6-foot-10 and is averaging 16.3 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Volunteers this season.
In Tennessee’s last two victories over Alabama and Georgia, Ament has totaled 48 points and 13 rebounds. Pearl praised his recent dominance and credited Tennessee coach Rick Barnes for how he’s developed his future NBA talent.
A photo of Nate Ament.
Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) runs back on defense against Alabama during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)AP
“Early in the year when you watched him, he was upright and he didn’t really get in a stance and play physically offensively and people were kind of knocking him off a spot,” Pearl said. “And as the year has gone on, you can just kind of see his progression of being way more aggressive and way more physical in what he does. And there was no better game to look at than the Alabama game.”
“That’s a testament to the coach and his staff, just continuing to work with him every single day. They’re going to have that kid ready for the NBA draft come June and he’s going to be a handful,” Pearl added.
In comparison to Smith, who is in his fourth season with the Houston Rockets, had a standout lone college season at Auburn averaging 16.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocked shots in 34 games in the 2021-22 campaign.
The only difference Pearl sees from Ament and Smith’s game is their 3-point efficiency, as Smith shot 42% from beyond the arc compared to Ament’s 30% through 20 games played.
“He’s a super talented player. Doesn’t shoot the same volume of 3s that Jabari did,” Pearl added. “But his mid-range turnaround jump shot that Jabari had was so good. He has that. So, special player and big-time talent.”
Auburn (14-7, 5-3) and Tennessee (14-6, 4-3) will tip off Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN.