Everything Rick Barnes said after Tennessee basketball’s win over Vanderbilt

Tennessee Volunteers’ head coach Rick Barnes shared his thoughts after his team’s impressive comeback win over Vanderbilt. Barnes attributed the team’s poor first half to a lack of aggression and defensive breakdowns, saying, “We were awful… We didn’t play with any pace in the first half”.¹

However, he praised his team’s second-half performance, highlighting the importance of mindset. “The second half just proves to you that how important a mindset is… We better change our mindset right here, right now,” Barnes emphasized.

Barnes also commended individual players, including Felix Okpara, who he thought was “terrific all day,” and Zakai Zeigler, who made a significant impact in the second half. “As bad as ‘Z’ was the first half, he was the difference in the game in the second half,” Barnes noted.

When asked about adjustments for faster starts, Barnes acknowledged that it’s a challenge they’ve been facing. “We haven’t been good… As much as we’ve talked about it, and trying to put guys in the right spots to do it, but tonight we came out and we weren’t very good offensively to start,” he said.

Barnes also discussed the strength of the SEC conference, stating that it’s the most competitive league he’s seen. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a league with the depth that each team can play with… And the quality of that,” he said.

Additionally, Barnes touched on the improvement of Felix Okpara’s perimeter defense, saying, “He’s come so far… He’s gotten so much better”.