Rick Barnes' tone was different after Tennessee basketball lost at Auburn. Here's why.

Rick Barnes’ tone was different after Tennessee basketball lost at Auburn. Here’s why.

Posted by author January 26, 2025 Basketball

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AUBURN, Ala. — Rick Barnes has a tell.

The Tennessee basketball coach fidgets during his postgame news conferences when he is frustrated. He plays with a water bottle. He taps his hands on the table. He shuffles the scoresheet.

He can’t stop moving.

But Barnes barely moved during his eight-minute news conference Saturday at Neville Arena. He wasn’t frustrated. He was fine.

“I should be positive,” he said. “They fought hard all night long.”

Barnes’ posture was noticeably different in the aftermath of a brutal, tightly played bout that ended with Tennessee (17-3, 4-3 SEC) on the losing side. He was accepting and even upbeat despite the 53-51 loss to No. 1 Auburn (18-1, 6-0).

Where he remarked that the Vols lost their poise in a 30-point loss at Florida, he stated Saturday that they weren’t affected by a major crowd at Auburn. Where he bemoaned defensive miscues in a one-point loss at Vanderbilt, he lauded Tennessee’s battle against the top-ranked Tigers.

“I’m just proud of every guy,” Barnes said. “I just thought that we came in and battled the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Took it down to the last possession with a chance to win it.”

Make no mistake: Barnes isn’t advocating the result as a moral victory. There is no such thing for the No. 7 team in the country and a program that has been ranked nonstop for four seasons.

He is advocating for this team, though. He knows there is better out there yet for the Vols, who spent a program-record five weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation. He saw enough at Auburn to believe that potential can be reached.

It has something else working in its favor.

Barnes declared he loves this team — and Barnes is a person who loves intensely. His love will show up in vigorous coaching and more demands because when he loves, he wants the best for anyone on the receiving end. Often times, he wants it more than the recipient does.

“I just know that we’re just coming to the end of January and have a lot of basketball left,” Barnes said. “We want to be our best at the end of the year. We’ve got guys that I know are gonna continue to work to try to do that.”

Tennessee’s defense gives it a high ceiling. The Vols held Auburn’s top-ranked offense to 53 points, its fewest since it scored 43 at Tennessee in February 2023. Getting closer to that ceiling depends on scoring more consistently, especially on the road. Finding more offensive success starts with the interior players, Barnes said.

Felix Okpara has unlocked a new level in SEC play, but the Vols still need more at the rim.

Barnes lathered compliments on senior guards Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack, who sparked an early second-half run when he hurtled on to the scorer’s table. The duo gave Tennessee a shot, as did timely 3-pointers from Jordan Gainey and Chaz Lanier. Each one of their four combined 3-pointers either tied the game or gave Tennessee a one-point lead when Auburn tried to seize control.

It was a fight-filled effort marked by Tennessee’s trademark toughness, and Barnes can live with that. Zeigler offered another source of hope, suggesting the team hasn’t yet played a game with all of its key pieces in sync.

“Whenever that happens and whenever we all click like that, it is going to be scary for the whole country,” Zeigler said.

Maybe that is what Barnes’ settled body language was telling Saturday.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.