Labaron Philon Jr. shook his head, seemingly in disbelief. No. 17 Alabama got the switch it wanted from No. 22 Tennessee with less than a minute to go Saturday night in Knoxville.
An Aiden Sherrell screen set Philon up for a 1-on-1 with Volunteers big man J.P. Estrella. Philon patiently waited for his moment to strike, first teasing a drive and then penetrating before spinning, fading and shooting over the 6-foot-11 Estrella.
The jumper swished for the sophomore guard, who outscored the Vols 13-8 in the final six minutes, breaking a tie between the SEC rivals. A Ja’Kobi Gillespie layup that would have forced overtime didn't fall, and Philon's Crimson Tide celebrated a 71-69 comeback victory in a silenced Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee (20-9, 10-6 SEC) had led by as many as 13 points in the second half, but Alabama (22-7, 12-4) continued its now-eight-game win streak.
PHILON.
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 1, 2026
PHILON.
PHILON. pic.twitter.com/a5kx3zuZUO
To make matters worse for the Volunteers, they lost second-leading scorer Nate Ament to a right leg injury.
The standout freshman forward was rolled up on in the first half. While he returned momentarily in the second half, and even made a turnaround jumper, he quickly exited the game again.
Nate Ament gets rolled up on and has to leave the game 🥺
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 28, 2026
He walked off under his own power, but is not on the Tennessee bench pic.twitter.com/uz12IcBcbN
This story is being updated.