KNOXVILLE – The first time Rick Barnes grabbed a microphone Saturday afternoon, Grant Williams had just fouled out and the Tennessee men’s basketball coach had to request that people in the sellout crowd of 22,237 refrain from tossing objects onto the floor as a game’s worth of frustration culminated inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
A few minutes later, when Barnes grabbed the microphone for a second time, it was to celebrate a 66-61 comeback victory over Georgia that secured a Southeastern Conference regular season co-championship for the 16th-ranked Volunters.
“Not bad for a team picked to finish 13th in the SEC,” Barnes said as jubilant Tennessee players around him donned hats commemorating the program’s first league title since 2008.
That the achievement came against the one SEC program Barnes had yet to beat since taking over at Tennessee in 2015 and with Williams on the bench in the game’s most important moments made it all the more memorable for the Vols (23-7, 13-5), who closed the game on a 9-0 run.
“We hadn’t beaten them since 2014,” said Williams, who had 22 points. “Think about that. We hadn’t beaten the Georgia Bulldogs since 2014. To come out and do that in the most crucial point and to make a special moment, that made it even more special.”