By CHRIS DORTCH
It’s a shame the biggest news involving SEC basketball last week was off the court. Or wait, that’s not accurate. The news came from a court alright, but it was a court of law, not a basketball court. When a judge granted former Alabama player Charles Bediako—he left school in 2023—a temporary restraining order to return to college basketball after having played in the G League and signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs, it established a dangerous precedent.
Earlier this month, the NCAA, to stop the influx of G League players from returning to college basketball, said that any player who has signed an NBA contract would not be cleared to pay in college.
No problem for Bediako, and who knows how many others to come next? He just found a judge who happens to be an Alabama supporter to issue that restraining order and he was able to play immediately, against Tennessee this past Saturday. More on that later.
“If these rules surrounding the NCAA pre- and post-draft rules cannot be enforced, it would create an unstable environment for the student-athletes, schools building a roster for the following season and the NBA,” NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement that was released January 23. “The NCAA membership has a set of rules in place regarding the pre- and post-NBA draft eligibility that have clearly been in place and supported by all parties until these recent court changes.”
Alabama’s response to that was that several players who have competed for professional teams in Europe have begun a mad rush to U.S. college basketball, for obvious reasons. NIL riches are too much to pass up. But here’s a fundamental difference. Players like Bediako, who left school in 2023, surrendered their NCAA eligibility to enter the draft. European players have obviously never had NCAA eligibility. Once you give that up, you should be finished, period.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, whose team was the first to face Alabama reinforced with the 7-foot Bediako, wasn’t thrilled with the ruling, but he didn’t say much about it before the game. And after Tennessee went to Tuscaloosa and came away with a 79-73 win despite Bediako’s 13 points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots, Barnes said the Vols didn’t alter their game plan one bit to deal with the big man. The Vols always try to take away easy baskets, so Bediako got the same treatment any other opposing big man would have.
Tennessee’s victory was popular on social media, which was flooded with comments from fans who clearly weren’t in favor of the Bediako ruling.
“Thank you Tennessee, signed: The rest of CBB,” said one comment. “Tonight, everyone was Orange,” said another.
A big reason the Crimson Tide, even reinforced by Bediako, couldn’t end its vexing losing streak—five in a row—to the Vols was freshman Nate Ament, who played his best game of the season, scoring 29 points, grabbing seven boards and handing out three assists. Importantly, Ament took 20 shots. After the Vols lost at home to Kentucky on Jan. 17, Barnes bemoaned the fact Ament launched just seven shots.
Compared to other five-star freshmen around the country—notably Duke’s Cameron Boozer and BYU’s AJ Dybanta—Ament’s season seemed to make some Vol fans wonder whether he was overrated. But his stats have been solid. Through Tennessee’s first 19 games, Ament averages 16.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists, all good numbers for a three man. Ament’s shooting percentages are low (42% from the field, 30% from 3) and he’s been turnover prone (50 compared to 50 assists). But Barnes has said all season Ament has been working overtime to keep getting better.
The Alabama game might have served noticed to the rest of the SEC. Maybe the 29 points were a fluke. But here’s what wasn’t a fluke—Ament is starting to learn how to get to his spots on the floor. Early in the season, he dribbled too much and often found himself in the teeth of the defense and surrounded. Against Alabama, he dribbled quickly to the midrange, and at 6-10 was able to shoot jump shots over smaller defenders. When the Tide did close out, Ament got to the rim.
Ament also was 2 of 3 from 3-point range, an encouraging sign. The Tennessee staff had been working with him to get more leg action into what was previously a predominantly arm-stroke.
Ament is the sixth SEC freshman in the last 20 seasons (2006-26) to record at least 29 points, seven rebounds and three assists, joining Tre Johnson, Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Ben Simmons (twice) and Terrence Jones. It was just the third such performance by a freshman in an SEC regulation game in that two-decade span, following Johnson and Simmons. Ament was also the first Division I freshman in almost 19 years with that stat line on the road against a ranked opponent. The last to do so was Arizona’s Chase Budinger on Feb. 10, 2007.
On Monday, Ament earned SEC Co-Player of the Week honors with Auburn’s Keyshawn Hall. Ament didn’t rest on those laurels. On Wednesday night in an 86-85 overtime victory against Georgia, Ament scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds, and passed for three assists. “Right now, he is seeing the game,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said after the Georgia game. “Really seeing it from all areas of the court. He sees it from almost every position, which is a great talent.”
The SEC Player of the Year is going to come from an Alabama school. Alabama’s Labaron Philon has been the odds-on favorite and hasn’t gone anywhere—he’s leading the league in scoring (22.0 ppg) and paces the Crimson Tide in assists and steals while shooting solid across the board (51.6% from the field, 37.0% from 3 and 76.1% from the free-throw line.). But Auburn’s Keyshawn Hall, who, barring any unforeseen issues, is certainly going to win the league’s Newcomer of the Year Award, is closing in on Philon, especially after he helped orchestrate Auburn’s improbable win at Florida last Saturday. Racking up 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Hall led the Tigers to their first win at Florida since 1996, snapping a 15-game losing streak. For context, Cliff Ellis was coaching Auburn then.
Hall followed that game with an even better performance against Texas, scoring 31 points. Hall took just 13 shots from the field, but he was 14 of 17 from the free-throw line and drew 10 fouls. Hall, a transfer from UCF who last season led the Big 12 in scoring, is Auburn’s top scorer (20.9 ppg) and rebounder (7.4 rpg). He’s a tough cover because he’s shooting 41.9% from 3 but also is tied for the national lead in made free throws (155 of 180). Hall is also a willing passer; with 58 assists, he’s just seven off Tahaad Pettiford’s team lead.
After a solid freshman season in which Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner was the only player in the country and the first since 1996-97 to record more than 50 assists and steals and commit less than 15 turnovers and led all power conference players with a 4.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, much was expected of the 6-0 guard in 2025-26. But he’s exceeded everyone’s expectations and is now turning up as a first-round pick in numerous mock drafts.
Tanner, who’s leading the Commodores in scoring, assists and steals, proved his worth again on Tuesday night when he helped lead 18-3 (5-3 SEC) Vanderbilt to an 80-55 victory over Kentucky. The game wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. Kentucky couldn’t make a shot early in the game, and Tanner, forced to play 36 minutes because of the absence of his backcourt mate Duke Miles (who’s been nursing a knee injury), delivered 19 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
Tanner wasn’t a lightly recruited player out of Nashville’s Brentwood Academy, but he seemed headed to Belmont or Murray State before former Vandy coach Jerry Stackhouse signed him. After Stackhouse was fired and Mark Byington arrived from James Madison to replace him, the latter quickly went to work re-recruiting Tanner. Byington assured Tanner there was a big role for him. But not even Byington expected to lose Tanner after just two seasons. That’s how far his game has progressed.
Tanner, it seems, was born to play basketball. He learned the game from his parents, both of whom played at Rice. Tanner’s father D’Wayne owns the career steals record in the old Southwest Conference (291) and Rice’s single-season record (95).