Tennessee basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight time as the Vols landed as the six-seed in the Midwest Region. The Vols face off against the winner of the First Four game between 11-seed SMU and 11-seed Miami (Ohio).
Following the bracket reveal, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes met with the media and discussed preparations, Nate Ament’s health and much more. Here’s everything Barnes said.
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On how he approaches not knowing Tennessee’s opponent for the first round
“Just kind of sort of like what we just did getting ready for the SEC Tournament. We’ll obviously get into both teams tonight, and by tomorrow we’ll have some obviously on both teams. Every coach will get involved and we’ll go at it with both teams down. And tomorrow will be a good work day for us. And we’ll start implementing some things that some traits that they might have and go from there.”
On Miami (Ohio) being a bubble team, getting in and potentially getting paired with Tennessee, if he heard about that storyline
“Not really. I just think any time that you win 30 games it speaks volumes about you. Because even when you get up around eight, nine, 10 games (without a loss), the season gets cranking and you get a big bullseye on your back. And that means every night you go out, somebody’s trying to knock you off the perch. And so, one, it pretty much tells you they’ve been a mentally tough team. Certainly a well-coached team. Because I don’t care what league you play in, I spent early part of my career in the Southern Conference, the Colonial Conference and I know how good that competition was. And the league that they come out of has proven that they can win in NCAA Tournament games. But again, you go through (the season), any time you got 30 wins, it speaks volumes about your character and your work ethic and your mental toughness.”
On if he has kept up with the career of former Tennessee guard BJ Edwards since he transferred to SMU
“Not a lot. But we certainly didn’t want BJ to leave when he left. But he felt with Zakai (Zeigler) and those guys. BJ is one of the special kids that we’ve had. I mean, he’s a great person, mother’s a great lady and I know just we’re all happy for him. The fact that when he did leave, he went because of Rob Lanier. And Rob just always spoke volumes about him, his improvement. And I know they missed him coming down the stretch (while he was out with an ankle injury).”
On the reaction of the Tennessee team and staff when they saw the bracket
“You’ll have to ask them. I was in another room when the announcement was made. So if I told you an answer, I’d be making up a story. So you’ll have to ask them that question.”
On how he reacted himself
“Well, again, I know what this time of year is and I say it all the time. Everybody that’s in it should be congratulated because they’ve set out against, what, 350-some teams to try to be part of this tournament. And so when you get there, it’s something you don’t ever, ever take for granted. Because it’s hard to get to the NCAA Tournament. And I can tell you, I’ve said it before, you know, there’s only gonna be one team left standing on Monday night. And that’s what tournament play is about. But I’m excited for this group. We set out and our goal has always been to try to play for a national championship. And we’re just one of the teams in this tournament that, with the rest of them, have a chance to do that.”
On if he ever played against an opponent that was in a First Four game during his time at Texas
“I don’t think so. I don’t remember if there was a play-in game back then. That was a long time ago. I’ve been here 11 years.”
On if he thought Auburn had a deserving case to make the tournament
“I do. When you think about our league and how hard it is, and I think Ole Miss just proved it. I they had lost how many games in a row, and they go there and make a run. And it is hard. It’s hard to come all the way through. But you think about it, teams like Ole Miss, Oklahoma, South Carolina, those teams, LSU, people have no idea. So yeah, and a lot of those teams dealt with injuries this year.
“But yeah, I mean, when you, when you come through this league, and I’m not saying any team, I’ll tell you if you go undefeated at this level it’s hard. And Florida had a great run. I remember when we played them early in the year down there, and they shellacked us. I told everybody, I said, ‘they’re a top five team.’ Look at their schedule and who they played, and I don’t even think they were ranked at the time. But this league is grueling, and so I think certainly they had a case. There’s no question about that.”
On how Nate Ament’s leg has felt since the NCAA Tournament
“Well, we got back, and I think it was good for him to really get some of the rust off. I mean, this time of year, you go 10 days, and I thought it was important that he did get to play in Nashville. I’m not sure that the doctors wanted him to play as much as he played, and I’m not sure if we would’ve kept winning, how much he would’ve played. (If it was ) Up to him, they’d have had to sit him down because he wanted to play. But I think this is good. A little more time will certainly benefit him and maybe Ja’Kobi more than anybody. Ja’Kobi’s played a lot of minutes. So playing on Friday, an extra day this time of year can, can work wonders.”
On the demeanor of the team since getting back from the SEC Tournament
“I haven’t really seen them. But they were fine. They were up there great tonight. We were up there, and — this team’s very serious about the way they go about things. I mean, they’re not an overly emotional group of guys. And I know they really like each other a lot. I know they care. I know this is something they wanted to do, and it’s something that we’ll talk more tomorrow because like I said, tomorrow will be a big work day for us, and we’ll get together and start our prep. But they should be congratulated. It’s something you don’t take for granted. And for some of these guys, obviously it’ll be a first-time experience which is what you want to have every year. So as you continue to try to build a program that every year can (make the tournament), never take it for granted. But want to be a part of this tournament this time of year. Any and every experience you get can come back for you.”
On making his 30th NCAA Tournament appearance, what qualities he’s seen in a good NCAA Tournament team
“Well, there’s a lot that goes into it. I mean, matchups are important in the tournament. But when you think about playing ball this time of year, players have to play. I think that — you go back to Ole Miss this weekend (at the SEC Tournament), you saw some players that were up and down for them all at once, they did what they were expected to do all year, and I think that’s true of this time of year. The players have to play. They’ve gotta — by now, you know, we can break down every game, like, you know, our last game, again, turnovers and fouls at the wrong time hurt you, and that sends you home.
“So you’d like to think mentally that you realize the value of every possession and what it’s gonna take to win. It’s hard to win this time of year, ’cause if you’re playing this time of year and you’re in this tournament, that means you’re a good basketball team and you’re capable. We’ve seen now from start to finish that a 16 can beat a one. So you take nothing for granted. You gotta have great focus, can’t overdo it. You can’t make it bigger than it is. It’s just another game, and obviously everybody knows what we’re playing for. You go into it with the mindset that you just focus on what’s at hand, and that is the standard that we’ve set, that we’ve got to try to live up to that standard.”
On the families being part of Tennessee’s NCAA Tournament experience
“Well, whether they’re here or not is a big deal. But the fact is, coaches’ families give up a lot. They really do. I mean, the time that our coaches are on the road recruiting. Players, you know, being away from home, there’s a lot. We’ve always believed in a family atmosphere and you can’t have that if you don’t allow coaches’ families and kids to be around. I think as much as I appreciate it, I think it’s better for the players that they also see coaches as people, families. Otherwise, they call us coach, we should start calling them player, you know? But I think having families around bring in the reality that we all have families and our families deserve to be here because again, I do know they give up a lot with the jobs that we have.”
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