When Lady Vols basketball made its trip west to Norman, Oklahoma, to face the Sooners, they were without one of their best players. Star forward Janiah Barker did not travel with the team, and Tennessee head coach cited not meeting ‘team standards’ as the reasoning.
However, after the game, Caldwell said the situation would be addressed upon the return to Knoxville. As the Lady Vols put the 100-93 loss to Oklahoma in the rearview mirror, Caldwell met with the media.
Caldwell said she expects Barker to play against LSU on Thursday.
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Barker is averaging 14.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on 46.9% shooting from the field and 36.6% on threes. She has played in 24 games this year, starting in 18 of them. She has played an average of 24.1 minutes per night.
Most recently, Barker had one of the best games of her career. Against her former team, Texas A&M, she produced 29 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, two steals and two blocks. This wasn’t enough for Tennessee to get over the hump, though, as the Lady Vols suffered a brutal 82-74 defeat at home.
“She was really efficient for us offensively,” Caldwell said about Barker after the game. “I think she was the only player in the first half that had an offensive rebound. She was taking good shots, she was playing at pace, they were doing a good job of finding her, and we need multiple people to step up. I like it when our stat line is a whole lot more balanced, and again, I’m proud of her and her game, but we need consistency throughout the team.”
Now, Tennessee has a pair of extremely tough games to round out the season. The Lady Vols will play LSU on Thursday, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN. Then, Tennessee will host Vanderbilt on Sunday for Senior Day and the regular season finale.
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