The persistent narrative that Rick Barnes underperforms in the NCAA tournament continues to take on more and more water. In fact, Barnes may at last have sunk it for good Friday when he led Tennessee to consecutive Elite Eights for the first time in program history.
Tennessee delivered a big-stage performance that had Peyton Manning clapping and cheering from his courtside seat in Indianapolis. The second-seeded Vols overwhelmed rival Kentucky, 78-65, to avenge a pair of regular-season losses to the Wildcats.
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The 13-point final margin only hints at the vice grip Tennessee had on this Sweet 16 matchup almost from start to finish. Tennessee took the lead less than four minutes into the game, extended it to double figures seven minutes later and built the advantage to as many as 19 points late in the first half. The Vols never allowed third-seeded Kentucky to narrow the gap to any closer than 12 during the second half en route to clinching a spot in Sunday’s Midwest regional final against Houston.
“The first two times we played them, we didn’t play Tennessee basketball,” Vols point guard Zakai Zeigler said. “Coming out this game, we really wanted to set the tone and show them who we were.”
While Tennessee still needs one more monumental win to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history, the Vols have already done enough to strip Barnes of the label of NCAA tournament underachiever. This is the third straight season that Tennessee has advanced to at least the NCAA tournament’s second weekend, this time potentially without an NBA Draft pick on their roster, no less.
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In 2023, a fifth-seeded Tennessee team memorably stifled Duke in the round of 32, holding the favored Blue Devils to 52 points. The Vols did that without Zeigler, lost to an ACL tear just a couple weeks earlier.
Last year, the second-seeded Vols took care of business in their first three NCAA tournament games before pushing Zach Edey-led juggernaut Purdue into the final minutes in the Elite Eight. Dalton Knecht had 37 in the season-ending loss. Edey, not to be outdueled, had 40.
This year, Tennessee has again lived up to its seeding, overwhelming Wofford and UCLA last week before taking its revenge on Kentucky. Only Tennessee, Alabama and Houston have reached the Sweet 16 or beyond each of the past three seasons. Only the Cougars have a longer active streak than the Vols.
Rick Barnes and Tennessee have now made the NCAA tournament’s second weekend three straight years. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
(Andy Lyons via Getty Images)
There was a time when Barnes’ NCAA tournament track record indeed had glaring holes.
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He didn’t get past the second round with Kevin Durant.
He has lost all five times he has coached in the 8-9 game.
His last seven talent-laden Texas teams didn’t advance to the NCAA tournament’s second weekend.
The idea of Barnes as a talent accumulator was likely unfair then. Now it’s even more absurd. Tennessee consistently overwhelms opponents with more NBA talent and more offensive firepower thanks to its defense, rebounding and unrelenting will.
Tough, physical defense, as it so often is with the Vols, was the story Friday against Kentucky. Whereas the Wildcats got any looks they wanted from behind the arc in the first two matchups, this time Tennessee executed its game plan and limited Mark Pope’s team to just 15 attempts from behind the arc.
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Tennessee was also the more relentless team on the glass. The Vols corralled 14 offensive boards and turned many of those into second-chance points.
Zeigler, the heartbeat of this Tennessee program, led the way with 18 points. Chaz Lanier, the sharpshooting North Florida transfer brought in to replace Knecht, had 17.
Now Tennessee moves on to the Elite Eight, where another difficult matchup awaits. Win that one, and this team will be in uncharted territory for Tennessee basketball.
Either way, the Barnes slander must stop. Having taken Tennessee to back-to-back Elite Eights for the first time in program history, he’s demonstrated that he can be trusted in March.
