KNOXVILLE – Rick Barnes said after Tennessee secured a Southeastern Conference regular-season basketball co-championship Saturday that he is “a rhythm coach” and he likes for the Volunteers to stay in a rhythm as team.
“When you break at Christmas, that’s a tough time because their schedules change,” Barnes said.
The veteran coach has found that when this Tennessee team takes a day off from practice, its collective effort has been unimpressive on the day practice resumes. With the regular season now behind them, the 13th-ranked Vols will have to fix that problem.
“We’ll get back in there tomorrow and we probably won’t have a good practice,” Barnes said. “That’s been the rhythm of this team. I’ll have to scream and yell a lot, but that’s part of it.”
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes talks to fans in front of Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer, right, after Tennessee defeated Georgia 66-61 for a share of the SEC Championship during an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 3, 2018, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Crystal LoGiudice)Tennessee opens the SEC tournament Friday at 7 p.m. EST in St. Louis against the winner of Thursday’s game between 10-seed LSU and 7-seed Mississippi State.