‘I wouldn’t normally do that’ – Tennessee’s Rick Barnes explains the reasoning behind late-game decision against Oklahoma

The Tennessee Vols handled business against the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday night in Knoxville.

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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The Tennessee Vols handled business against the Oklahoma Sooners in Knoxville on Wednesday night.

Oklahoma got to within six points of Tennessee with just over six minutes remaining in the second half, but the Vols closed the game on a 21-4 run to secure the 89-66 win.

The Vols were led in scoring by true freshman forward Nate Ament, who matched his career high with 29 points.

“He’s a multiple-threat player,” said Sooners head coach Porter Moser after the game. “I mean his length off the dribble, his length to shoot — he’s got a mid-range game. I don’t know how many assists he had tonight….three assists, one steal, 29 points. He’s terrific. He’s every bit as advertised.”

Ament previously scored 29 points in road games against Kentucky and Alabama.

Rick Barnes left Nate Ament in the game to give him a chance to set a new career high

Ament was on the floor for the Volunteers when the final buzzer sounded Wednesday night despite Tennessee holding a 23 point lead.

Vols head coach Rick Barnes said after the game that he initially planned to remove Ament from the game with about a minute remaining.

Sophomore guard Bishop Boswell, however, convinced Barnes to leave Ament in to give him a chance to reach 30 points.

“No, [not] until I was getting him out of the game with a minute to go, and Bishop asked me to leave him in,” said Barnes when asked if he was aware that Ament was close to setting a new career high. “And I would not normally do that, but I did it out of their respect for Nate. Because the game was over at that point in time, and my thought was to get him out. But Bishop said, ‘Coach, come on, let him try to get it,’ so we gave him a chance. But I was getting ready to take him out.”

Ament didn’t score in the game’s final moments, but Barnes’ decision, which came at the request of an older teammate, certainly shows how the true freshman is viewed among his teammates.

I have a feeling that 30 points is in the not-too-distant future for Ament — he’s playing some elite basketball right now.

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