{"id":86542,"date":"2025-03-26T10:37:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T15:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/what-rick-barnes-said-about-tennessee-kentucky-round-3-in-the-sweet-16\/"},"modified":"2025-03-26T10:37:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T15:37:14","slug":"what-rick-barnes-said-about-tennessee-kentucky-round-3-in-the-sweet-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/what-rick-barnes-said-about-tennessee-kentucky-round-3-in-the-sweet-16\/","title":{"rendered":"What Rick Barnes said about Tennessee-Kentucky Round 3 in the Sweet 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Rick Barnes<\/a><\/strong> said before practice Wednesday at Food City Center, previewing No. 2 Tennessee<\/a> (29-7) vs. No. 3 Kentucky<\/a> (24-11) in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Friday (7:39 p.m. Eastern Time, TBS\/TruTV<\/a>) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis: <\/p>\n

How strange it is for Tennessee to be preparing for an opponent in the Sweet 16 that it has already faced twice<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, with having as many teams in our league having a type of year, I don\u2019t (know). I\u2019ve always thought about it\u2019s just the next game. And it\u2019s been a month or so since we last played Kentucky. I think it\u2019d be different if it was a week ago, maybe in the (SEC) Tournament, a week and a half ago. But it is what it is. And this time of year, it doesn\u2019t matter. You\u2019re playing right now, obviously, you\u2019re on a pretty good roll. I\u2019m sure guys are excited, confident. So whether it\u2019s Kentucky or whoever, you\u2019ve just got to be ready to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

If he\u2019d rather Tennessee play a team that its familiar with or not familiar with\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. I just know how hard we knew we had to get ready top lay Wofford, then the winner of the UCLA-Utah State game. And it\u2019s no different this week. It\u2019s the next game up on your schedule and you\u2019ve gotta be ready to go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Point guard Lamont Butler\u2019s importance for Kentucky<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a terrific player. I love the way he plays. And he\u2019s obviously been there before. He knows what it\u2019s like this time of year to play basketball. But he brings a really good defensive element to them and he knows what he\u2019s doing on the offensive end. Physicality. He brings physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Igor Milicic Jr. did well in Tennessee\u2019s two games against Kentucky, his play against UCLA in the second round\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought Igor played well (against Kentucky) and I thought he played well the other night. He got back and he had seven rebounds and did a lot of good things with the ball. But right now, whether it\u2019s Igor, whoever, they\u2019ve got to be ready to play. We\u2019ve talked about this time of year, what it\u2019s all about. But Igor did play well, I thought, both times. And we need him to do it, that and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kentucky have success in the two games at the 3-point line, against Tennessee\u2019s No. 1-ranked 3-point defense\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think you give them credit. One, they made made the shots, there\u2019s no question. And they\u2019re a team that is capable of making tough shots. But we did have some breakdowns that let them get going. And I think a team like that, they can shoot it, you give them just a little bit of space, let them get the rhythm, it doesn\u2019t take much for them to have a great night against you.\u201d<\/p>\n

How important the play of Tennessee\u2019s front court on defense and in rebounding was against UCLA in these second round\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we play our best basketball, it\u2019s when we\u2019ve got a complete effort, not only from our guards, but with our front line. At this time of year, if you\u2019re going to win and move, you got to have everybody. It can\u2019t be one-sided from your own attack. And we just need that consistency from here on out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tennessee\u2019s Felix Okpara, Cade Phillips and Igor Milicic Jr. combining for 20 rebounds against UCLA<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHuge. And that was a major emphasis going in because you know, you go back, and when we\u2019ve been pounded on the boards, it\u2019s really hurt us. Obviously it would hurt anybody. We talk about it all the time, the game going on within the game that, whether it\u2019s trying to get some of your misses. But you can\u2019t be a good defensive team if you don\u2019t finish it and rebound the ball and allow your offense to get out, maybe get some easy baskets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NCAA Transfer Portal opening while the NCAA Tournament is still going on\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is what it is. I mean, it\u2019s the rules they put in play. It is what it is. We have to live within it and do what we do. And again, I\u2019m thankful and that we have a coaching staff that\u2019s been on top of it. And it\u2019s different because we\u2019re still in the tournament, but yet still recruiting as if we weren\u2019t. But I don\u2019t think we\u2019re any different than any of the other teams that\u2019s still playing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kim Caldwell taking the Lady Vols to the Sweet 16 in her first season<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome. I mean, from the time that she\u2019s walked on this campus, she\u2019s made a tremendous impact. I go back a year ago when we started with the Big Orange Caravan that you knew she was confident in what she was doing, her style, she knew that she believed in that. And I look back and I really admire Danny White and his staff for making a hire. I mean, people probably said, who? What? But she\u2019s got all that quiet real quick. But if you knew how hard our women\u2019s team and I watched it all through the summer and fall, I\u2019m not the least bit surprised in what she\u2019s got going. She\u2019s only gonna continue to build on it. And I hope this team continues to go because again, we\u2019ve watched them personal and up close how hard they work every day and it really, it\u2019s neat watching their success.\u201d<\/p>\n

If he\u2019s ever had two players be finalists for National Defensive Player of the Year, whether he\u2019d vote for Zakai Zeigler or Jahmai Mashack<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what I don\u2019t think I have, but if I had a vote, I\u2019d vote for both of them. And simply because they both go about it a different way. You got one guy that is having to match up every night with normally the other team\u2019s best player. Then you got a guy like Zakai who\u2019s playing 94 feet and getting ball screened every time he turns around. So it\u2019s two different ways that you look at it, but it\u2019s really a compliment to both of them. And the fact is, I\u2019d vote for both of them and I guess on a national level, they\u2019d both get to have a vote, but I think they both are more than deserving of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s continued to get better. I think he\u2019s, and you would expect that. I mean, because of, again, if you know him (and) how he goes about his business and he went through a learning year in what is arguably the greatest college basketball league ever and against the physical guys, terrific coaches, players that know how to guard people, how to change things up. And he had to learn it on the run. And, and he\u2019s done that and he\u2019s just gotten so much better. And I think that, he\u2019s just, in terms of his own future and career, I think he\u2019s just getting started to what he\u2019s gonna be.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Chaz Lanier has been at his best as of late<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s continued to get better. I think he\u2019s, and you would expect that. I mean, because of, again, if you know him (and) how he goes about his business and he went through a learning year in what is arguably the greatest college basketball league ever and against the physical guys, terrific coaches, players that know how to guard people, how to change things up. And he had to learn it on the run. And, and he\u2019s done that and he\u2019s just gotten so much better. And I think that, he\u2019s just, in terms of his own future and career, I think he\u2019s just getting started to what he\u2019s gonna be.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about Chaz\u2019s personality allows him to get better this time of year<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I think he said it best the other day, and I think this, he said he\u2019s grounded. Every time you hear him talk, he gives glory to God. He said, that\u2019s my foundation, that\u2019s my rock. And I think that that\u2019s true. I think that he realizes that God has put him here at this time to glorify God. And that means to do everything he possibly can to prepare himself mentally, emotionally, to do everything that he can possibly do to get ready to go out and try to play the best basketball he can. And I don\u2019t think he\u2019s laying around worrying about, am I gonna make a shot? I think he\u2019s just thinking about his preparation, what he needs to do. And that\u2019s not just offensively, he\u2019s gotten so much better on the defensive end and I mean, he\u2019s just improved in every facet of his game. But it\u2019s his personality. He hasn\u2019t changed. I mean, he came in here very unselfish, wanted to be part of a team, wanted to be part of a program, and he\u2019s done more than his part to come in and not just help us, but make our program better.\u201d<\/p>\n

How beneficial it is to have players that won\u2019t be intimidated by playing during the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s important. You know, I do, I think it\u2019s important. Obviously Zakai (Zeigler), and Jahmai (Mashack) and Jordan (Gainey), you know, Cade (Phillips) got a taste of it last year, and JP (Estrella) a little bit, even though he is not playing. I think it\u2019s so important and I think the\u00a0carryover going forward is so important for those guys, because those guys are going into a new role. But I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any question you want guys that have been there and understand what you have to do mentally to focus on getting ready to do your job.\u201d<\/p>\n

How much validation it is for the SEC to have seven teams in the Sweet Sixteen:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is. I mean you talk about it and almost have half of \u2019em, half our league is there. I think it speaks volumes of\u00a0the kind of year that we\u2019ve had. Obviously when you have more teams in, you\u2019re going to have\u00a0a chance to lose more games. I\u2019m sure people early (during the first round) were probably taking shots at the league, I would assume. I don\u2019t read it, but I would assume that\u2019s what was being said. But the fact is, we\u2019ve got seven in and again, I look at our league and appreciate it\u00a0\u2019cause I know we all would say we know what we had to go through all year to get to this point.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut again, I\u2019m proud of it \u2019cause I know where we were 10 years ago. I\u00a0mean, I was in that room and you know, the commissioner made the comment, he wanted to see basketball become, like, I think he said women\u2019s softball at the time. I think we had a bunch that year in softball. And he said he\u2019d like to see a day when we got double digits (in the men\u2019s basketball tournament) \u2019cause I think we were coming off where there was maybe, what? Two or three teams that were in the tournament? To get where we are today, it\u2019s taken a while to get here, but it\u2019s been good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Texas firing head coach Rodney Terry:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to him obviously before he had heard, and you know, he was hoping to have a chance to talk about it with (Texas AD) Chris Del Conte and see if there was a way moving forward. But after it happened \u2014 I talked to him the day before \u2014 I called him back after I\u2019d gotten the news and before I could even say anything, he said, \u2018Coach, I\u2019m good.\u2019 He said, \u2018I know God\u2019s got a plan for me.\u2019 He said, \u2018(God) brought me here, he\u2019s got something planned.\u2019 And I think he\u2019s just in a good place as a person, but you know, Rodney was a part of that program as an assistant (and as a ) head coach for 11 or 12 years, and obviously was there when we had some good runs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRodney\u2019s a good man. I thought the staff did a good job with their team. He\u2019ll be fine. Whatever he decides to do. I think he\u2019s already had opportunities that maybe he passed on. But I love Rodney. It\u00a0warmed my heart when I heard him say that God had a plan for him because I believe that. I think he\u2019s got a plan for all of us. I think he\u2019s sovereign. I don\u2019t think his sovereignty has ever lost. So he\u2019ll put him where he wants him to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post What Rick Barnes said about Tennessee-Kentucky Round 3 in the Sweet 16<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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