What Rick Barnes said on Vol Calls during Vols’ ‘open’ week

No. 6 Tennessee basketball is in the midst of its ‘open’ week in which it does not play a midweek game. UT will be back in action this Saturday afternoon when it plays at No. 7 Texas A&M in a top-10 showdown.

Rick Barnes joined Vol Calls on Monday night to discuss the importance of Tennessee’s midweek bye coming at the perfect time. Here’s everything Barnes had to say about the Vols coming off their comeback win over Vanderbilt last weekend ahead of their trip to College Station.

On the midweek bye coming at a good time for Tennessee:

“It comes at a good time for us. We looked like a MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit (Monday) inside the (training room). (Trainer) Chad Newman, working his tail off today. Just things that, you know, strained calves, this, that or whatever. Big toes, you know, get stepped on. Things that you wouldn’t expect, (jammed fingers).

“So it comes at a good time. We’re trying to manage this week where you get them some rest, obviously, but try to stay in somewhat of a rhythm. But we right now, we need rest. And so we came in today, and you know, we always do (Monday). Guys will come in and do some individual shooting, but we did just tape of our (Vanderbilt) game, try to learn a little bit from what happened Saturday, and then we’ll come back (Tuesday) and have a good workout, and probably take Wednesday off, and then be back on a regular routine.”