Tennessee basketball advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season by knocking off Texas 62-58 in Charlotte on Saturday night.
The Vols struggled extremely badly on the offensive end but found a way by playing great defense, dominating the boards and hitting clutch free throws.
After the win, Barnes discussed the poor shooting night, the strong defensive effort and much more. Here’s everything Barnes said.
More From RTI: Three Quick Takeaways On Tennessee Basketball’s Win Over Texas
Opening statement
“Really just an incredible effort by both teams. Exactly the way we described the game to our players getting ready for this game. Obviously I do certainly have the utmost respect and our team does for the University of Texas and our program, and the fact that so many guys on that bench that have been a huge part of my life I’m thankful for.
But proud of the effort. These are the kinds of games in the tournament you get bounced when you shoot as poorly as we did, but we found a way with our defense. The ten extra shots that we got were obviously important to us, but to shoot the ball as poorly as we did, and all we kept talking about during timeouts was keep taking our shots. We’ve got to get it done on the defensive end.
Again, they run some really good stuff. We felt, if we did what we needed to do, they would end up going to their matchup zone. We got looks out of it, we didn’t convert it. Yet we kept our poise, and they got really aggressive there at the end trying to drive it downhill.
Again, just really proud of our team and the way they stayed with it on a night where we just struggled shooting the ball.”
On how special this weekend has been
“Well, my first year in college coaching as a volunteer at Davidson — my very first year as a volunteer assistant, we played at the Charlotte Coliseum, and we won our first game there against Brown. I still have that watch that said — and we were the Charlotte Invitational Champions. That was our goal coming here.
I said, we’re in the Charlotte Invitational Tournament right now. There’s four teams.
Again, I can’t tell you how much respect I have for — I could talk all night about Texas and their staff. I’m looking at one of my favorite players sitting right there, it was the first high school player we signed at the University of Texas, Chris Ogden, and he’s truly like a son to me.
The game played exactly how — I knew they were going to play so hard. They knew we were going to play hard. They did an incredible job on Dalton, and we knew shots were going to be hard to come by. We did feel if maybe we could get inside a little bit, thought we could get them into some ball screen.
We had some looks, and we knew they were going to go to a matchup at some point. We knew that was coming because the last time we played them we saw it. We got the shots that we thought we could get out of it and some back cuts.
Again, just so you know, that tournament was probably about 45 years ago, whatever it was, as long as I’ve been in it. Just proud of our team. Really proud of the effort of both teams. I thought both teams played their hearts out. To win a game like this when you shoot as poorly as we did — and they had something to do with that. Again, I don’t — there was some shots we forced, but their defense was there.
To win a game like this in this tournament, again, I’m just proud of the effort our guys put in there on the defensive end.”
On if tonight was an example of playing well but just shooting poorly
“I think we played well defensively. Again, they do some really good things. We wanted to take away the paint. We were obviously concerned about Abmas, and I think Mashack did a good job. Santi did. We lost him one time. He does a really good job of some things we were concerned about.
We saw that a lot of people wouldn’t guard — let me make sure I get it right. Dillon Mitchell, we were going to guard him. We believe in ball pressure. We watch a lot of teams stay back and he does a good job. They got him really dribbling that, letting him come off and give some separation. We only gave that to him one time, and he hit it. That was a big play at that point in time for them.
Again, we just kept talking about we’re going to put it on our defense. We’ve got to take the shots when we get him, but we’ve got to put it on — they did some good stuff at the end of the game getting downhill. Z missed his closeout, and Tyrese went by him for some layups, and we gave him a couple no-pass paint touches, which you can’t give to anyone.
Overall, it’s exactly the kind of game we thought it would play out to be.”
On how hard it is to surprise Texas with something due to familiarity
“Well, you can, but again, even with that, they play so hard. We play hard. You know, you expect players to be able to adjust. We did something that they probably hadn’t seen us do much. Honestly, I watched it. I saw it on film today, where we went to a naked side ball screen right there at the elbow area. We watched that actually in one of their games late in the year, and we hadn’t done much of that. We got a lot out of it.
That’s when they decided to go zone, but we didn’t show it in the first half. We wanted to get some stuff, and we got some action out of it.”
On if the win is any sweeter due to the way things ended at Texas
“Honestly, not really. I do think that — haven’t we played three years in a row? We played three years in a row. We went there, and they came here. Hard game before they closed down the Erwin Center. That was different because I never coached in the Erwin Center, but last year they came in and this year.
What it’s become is it’s become a really good rivalry in the league because they’re coming into the league. Honestly, I don’t — and I don’t want somebody to think I’m being disrespectful, but I’ve been away nine years, and that’s a long time really in this sport. I’m happy for Texas and the staff they have because, one, I know how much those guys love that university. I mean, that guy right there born and bred a Texan, and I know how much it meant to him to give up a head coaching job to go back because they wanted to build on and try to put the family back together that was there for 17 years. I think they saw that.
I think T.J. was here tonight, wasn’t he? He left. I know he texted me. But today I got a lot of texts this afternoon from a lot of my former players, and I’m — you know, there’s a love affair there and a family that — and I’m part of that family, and I always will be. But I’m just thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to be at a lot of great universities, 17 years there, now 9 here at Tennessee. Honestly, I couldn’t be in a better place than I am right now.
Again, it is what it is. I’m just excited we’re moving on because a year ago we were a good team. Zakai went down, and we really had to recreate ourself at the end of the year. We won games like this to get to the Sweet 16 a year ago. We struggled to score, but we won these kind of games. Actually, the older guys kept saying, we’ve been here before. We know what we’ve got to do.
I’ve got to believe, and I’m certainly hoping — it seems like the lid has been on the basket the last two weeks. Whether people believe it or not, I think we can shoot the ball. If we can do that, it will give us obviously a chance.
We got here. We came here to win this tournament and these four teams and we get a chance to move on.
I just have so much respect — I said it yesterday, and I said it to the St. Peter’s program, you get to this tournament, you’ve got a lot to be proud of, I don’t care who it is.
But I love Tom Izzo. He and I got in this together. He does — as soon as he lost the game, he came in that locker room and hugged me, and I hugged him. We’ve grown up in this business together, and he’s a guy that has done it the right way all the time. You couldn’t ask for a better guy to represent your university. He’d have been successful wherever he went. He’s a legend, an institution there at Michigan State.
There aren’t many of us left of that era, but I’m just, again, thank God for the opportunities He’s given me and The blessings because it really is a blessing.”
