Two-seed Tennessee steamrolled 15-seed Saint Peter’s on Thursday night for the Vols’ first win of the 2024 NCAA Tournament slate.
Tennessee put their foot on the gas right out of the gates with a 27-7 run to start the game and didn’t look back. Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes preached aggression out of his team in the first few minutes and found it on Thursday night in Charlotte, N.C.’s Spectrum Center.
The Vols defeated the Peacocks by a score of 83-49 behind a game-high 23 points from Dalton Knecht, a points-assists double-double from Zakai Zeigler, and 13 big first-half points from Jonas Aidoo.
“But just really proud of the way our guys prepared getting ready for this game and the way we came out in the first half and really played well defensively,” Barnes said after the game. “I thought we settled in on offense, but a good performance by a lot of different guys.”
After a stretch that saw Tenessee drop two straight including a game in the SEC Tournament leading into the NCAA Tournament, there was some doubt as to whether Tennessee was mentally prepared heading into their first-round matchup. While there’s always going to be some doubters – even after a 34-point win in the first round – Tennessee reinstilled confidence on Thursday night with a solid performance in a blowout win.
“We came back. I really admire and appreciate our guys,” Barnes said about the transition between tournaments. “We were very transparent. We watched the whole (SEC Tournament) game and talked about where we lost our focus with our game plan and why we splintered and what caused it. So, yeah, those guys responded. When we went back out on the court and went to work, they did respond. Just proud of them. They were really focused with what we needed to get done.”
After the game, Barnes met with the media to give his reaction to the Vols’ big tournament win. Barnes spoke about key players, preparing for the game, and even touched on Tennessee’s second-round opponent, Texas.
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Check out the full Rick Barnes postgame press conference below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
Saint Peter’s Postgame
