What to know about Tennessee basketball's roster, who's left after Elite 8 exit
After yet another loss in the Elite Eight, here's who's coming returning, who's leaving, and who's incoming for Tennessee basketball, Rick Barnes.
Coach Rick Barnes has brought high-level stability to Tennessee basketball and has the program in national conversations each season. But after a third consecutive exit in the Elite Eight and just shy of the Final Four, the Vols (25-12) are once in roster-building mode. Michigan not only handed Tennessee its worst loss of the season, but it also demonstrated the gap between a good team and a national championship contender.
The Wolverines ran up and down the United Center floor throughout the 95-62 win in Chicago on March 29, while the Vols fought to lift the lid off their own basket. Their 31. 6% shooting performance against Michigan echoed last season's 29% output in the 69-50 Elite Eight loss to Houston.
Here's what you need to know about Tennessee's roster as Barnes attempts again to assemble the program's first Final Four team. Will Nate Ament return or declare for the NBA draft? Standout freshman Nate Ament refused to look far into the future after the loss to Michigan.
Ament said his freshman season was "one of the greatest years" of his life, but the 2026 NBA Draft awaits. "Talking to my coaches and my circle and see what the next step's going to be," he said about his draft plans. Should Ament declare, he would likely be a lottery pick.
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