With Tennessee Basketball’s 73-63 win over LSU on Saturday night in Knoxville, UT head coach Rick Barnes has officially hit 250 total wins during his time with the Volunteers. Barnes’ very first win was in Tennessee’s 2015 season opener, his first game with UT, in a 96-83 win over Alabama-Huntsville in Knoxville.
After the game, Barnes spoke for a few minutes about the milestone that he reached on Saturday night. Naturally, Barnes deflected much of the praise to his former players and coaching staff, but he also spent a good chunk of time sharing his appreciation for the Vols’ fanbase.
Rick Barnes speaks on his appreciation for the Tennessee fanbase after his 250th win with the Vols ⬇️
“I think we’ve got as loyal a basketball fanbase – obviously, we know Vol Nation is special, but basketball wise, it’s been unbelievable.” pic.twitter.com/UjsLONpfOR
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) February 15, 2026
“And what I didn’t know growing up three hours from here is the love for Tennessee basketball,” Barnes said. “I’d had people tell me through the years. I had a friend that’s been a friend for 11 years, Kevin Feltner, who was coaching an AAU team here at one time. He was one of the first guys I met, and he came in and welcomed me to East Tennessee, and he said, ‘I want to tell you, what you’re going to be most surprised about is how loyal and how rabid your fan base is.’ He said, ‘They love basketball here.’ And that’s true. And I think we’ve got as loyal a basketball fan base. Obviously, we know Vol Nation is special. But basketball-wise, it’s been unbelievable.
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One of the players on Barnes’ first Tennessee team during the 2015-2016 season was Robert Hubbs. The 6-foot-6 guard from Newbern, TN, was entering his third year in the season when Barnes took over. He posted career scoring highs of 10.6 PPG (2015-2016) and 13.7 PPG (2016-2017) during his two years with Barnes.
Hubbs was on the court for Tennessee’s first season of the Rick Barnes era, and was in the crowd for the 250th win.
“I’m thankful for the players that we coach,” Barnes said on Saturday night. “It was great seeing Robert Hubbs tonight. He was here for the first win that we ever had, and we were back there talking when we had started 11 years ago, and it’s really hard to believe it’s been 11 years. And I’m just thankful to God for the opportunity and the blessing.”
Here’s a look at how Barnes and the Tennessee program have achieved 250 wins over the last 11 years:
- 2015-2016: 15 wins
- 2016-2017: 16 wins
- 2017-2018: 26 wins
- 2018-2019: 31 wins
- 2019-2020: 17 wins
- 2020-2021: 18 wins
- 2021-2022: 27 wins
- 2022-2023: 25 wins
- 2023-2024: 27 wins
- 2024-2025: 30 wins
- 2025-2026: 18 wins (and counting)
