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 like a viper, 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.
PHILON.
PHILON. pic.twitter.com/a5kx3zuZUO— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 1, 2026
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 when going for a loose ball with under eight minutes left in the first half. Fortunately for Tennessee, he walked off on his own power and even temporarily returned to the game in the second half.
But shortly after he made a turnaround jumper, he exited the game again and didn't come back. Ament, a projected top-10 pick in this year's NBA Draft, notably turned his right ankle in the first half of a road loss to Missouri on Tuesday.
He came into the weekend averaging 17.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Nate Ament gets rolled up on and has to leave the game 🥺
He walked off under his own power, but is not on the Tennessee bench pic.twitter.com/uz12IcBcbN
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 28, 2026
Saturday's game was a tale of two stories.
Alabama now has five comebacks of at least 10 points this season, whereas Tennessee is up to five blown leads of 10 more points during the 2025-26 campaign.
Philon finished with 23 points, two shy of the season-high 25 backcourt partner Latrell Wrightsell Jr. piled up. Wrightsell went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc.
As a team, Tennessee hit only four 3s, shooting a dismal 22.2% on long-range attempts.
Gillespie scored 26 points, but his potential game-tying layup was off the mark, and the Crimson Tide kept rolling.