Saturday afternoon’s 69-65 victory over No. 19 Vanderbilt inside Memorial Gym yielded a couple of nice, round numbers for the Tennessee Volunteers.
A 20th triumph of the season, and a 10th Southeastern Conference win.
This season’s Vols are adding to the most successful stretch in program history, with the past four Tennessee teams having averaged 27.3 wins per season and having produced a combined 9-4 record in NCAA tournament play. The fifth consecutive 20-win season that was secured Saturday matches a program record.
“I’m proud of our guys, and I’m proud of the guys who have come before these guys,” Tennessee 11th-year coach Rick Barnes said Saturday on the Vol Network. “I’m proud of this group, because the one thing I’ve asked them is to just get a little bit better every day. From now until the end of the year, I expect us to get even better.
“I’ve said before that I’m blessed to have had this opportunity and that I’m so thankful that God has brought me to Tennessee.”