KNOXVILLE – After a hot-shooting Tennessee dismantled Ole Miss 94-61 on Feb. 3, Rick Barnes acknowledged the second-half was likely the best half his Volunteers had played all season.
“I know we go back down there, and it will be a whole different ball game,” Barnes said afterwards.
Three weeks later, the No. 19 Volunteers (20-7, 10-5 SEC) are gearing up to face an Ole Miss team that is coming off arguably its best win of the year with interim coach Tony Madlock now in charge.
The Rebels (12-16, 5-10) won 90-87 in overtime at Missouri on Tuesday in their first game since veteran coach Andy Kennedy’s resignation. The second game of the Madlock era is Saturday at 1 p.m. Eastern, when the Rebels host Tennessee.
“I just know this time of year, that mindset is as important as anything,” Barnes said. “After watching what they did against Missouri, they have a pretty good mindset right now.”