NASHVILLE, Tn. — Rick Barnes doesn’t make an opening statement in postgame press conferences. But his answer to the first question often turns in different directions and takes the shape of an opening statement with his thoughts on the game. In the midst of a winding answer following Tennessee basketball’s 75-63 loss against Illinois, Barnes revealed the piercing truth about his team 10 games into the season.
“I still think our guys don’t understand exactly what goes into winning,” Barnes said.
For 30 minutes against Illinois, Tennessee played pretty well despite some of those lacking in key areas. But an extended 27-13 run to end the game gave Illinois a drama-free victory and exposed those issues that persisted throughout the game.
“Little details,” Barnes said. “Not listening coming out of timeouts, not doing what we say we’re going to do. Mistakes. Taking the ball out of bounds when you’re not supposed to. Free-throw block out when it’s still a nine-point game. Giving up when you’ve dominated there. Finishing plays. Free throws.”
Tennessee missing free throws has cost them early in each of its last two games. They made just eight-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe against the Fighting Illini.
By Barnes estimation, the Vols missed 10 shots at the rim. He noted that some weren’t easy. But many of them were and Tennessee needs to make the more challenging ones too when its roster is built the way that it is.
Then there’s the turnovers. Tennessee totaled 13 of them against an Illinois team that forces them at a very low rate. Turnovers are going to be an issue for a team built like Tennessee and the spacing issues they often have offensively. But some of the turnovers were completely silly and unforced.
More From RTI: Everything Tennessee HC Rick Barnes Said Following Loss Against Illinois
Perhaps the most glaring part of Tennessee’s losses against both Kansas and Illinois is the way they rolled over late when the opponent took control. Illinois grabbed five of its 11 offensive rebounds in the game’s final 3:07, a clear sign that the Vols let go of the rope once the game began to slip away.
Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack had their flaws on the basketball court but that was not one of them. Rarely did Tennessee lack that late game punch even as games slipped away. Barnes says he doesn’t doubt his team’s effort, but he has questions about its leadership during games.
“It’s not there yet, the way it needs to be,” Barnes said of that leadership. “You really need it from your guards more than anybody, and we don’t have that yet.”
“I feel like I’m trying to take on that role and talk, and I’m talking in timeouts,” sophomore guard Bishop Boswell added. “I mean, we see it from J.P. (Estrella) and I think we see it from everybody through periods. But just consistently, we need everybody to have a voice.”
Barnes emphasis on needing it from guards was telling because he also acknowledged that Boswell does a pretty good job with it. But Ja’Kobi Gillespie is a naturally quiet person. The Vols have keyed on coaxing vocal leadership out of him since he arrived this summer. And while Gillespie has acknowledged his need to be better there, it just doesn’t come easy for him.
Tennessee has big picture flaws but they still have the pieces to be a very good team. Those flaws just minimize the room for error and emphasize the need to understand what affects winning. The Vols are searching for that feel right now.
Tennessee now has nine days off before returning to the court against Louisville. It could be a chance for a floundering team to find its footing, but Barnes said he wants to play games and revealed a puzzling detail about his team.
“I’d rather be playing,” Barnes said. “I don’t think we need practice. I mean, we’re good in practice. We’re good in practice. … It is concerning when you don’t play the way you practice? That’s what’s concerning and that’s what I said. And we still didn’t do it.”
That makes for a long nine days as Tennessee basketball searches for answers and tries to find the consistency and attention to details it’s lacking.
