Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is experiencing a sort of homecoming in various ways.
Taking his Volunteers to his hometown in North Carolina for the NCAA Tournament, he now prepares them to face his former squad in a Midwest Region second-round showdown on Saturday night.
The second-seeded Tennessee (25-8) is set to compete against the seventh-seeded Texas (21-12) for a chance to advance to the Sweet 16.
“I’ve got great respect for my time at the University of Texas, and I’ve got dear friends that they’ll be friends until the day I die,” Barnes said. “Like I said, great relationships with much of that staff, but I’ve been gone nine years, and I’m a Tennessee Volunteer. The time I had there was special because a lot of – really there’s a lot of people there that touched my life.”
Rodney Terry, the coach of Texas, served as an assistant under Barnes at Texas from 2002-11.
“He did a great job of helping us win a lot of games,” Barnes said.
Barnes achieved his 200th win in his nine seasons at Tennessee after a dominant victory against Saint Peter’s with a score of 83-49. His coaching tenure at Texas spanned 17 seasons, accumulating 402 wins following previous coaching stints at George Mason, Providence, and Clemson.
Amidst the admiration, a competitive spirit prevails.
“When we get ready to play, I can assure you that Rodney and his staff are going to try to win that game as hard as they can, and I can tell you we’re going to try to do the same thing,” Barnes said.
Frank Haith, an assistant coach at Texas under Barnes who later pursued head coaching roles before returning to the Longhorns, adds to the narrative.
Although encountering setbacks towards the end of the season which potentially cost them a top regional seed, Tennessee approaches the upcoming challenge with optimism.
“The job’s still not finished, though,” guard Zakai Zeigler said. “We’ve still got to handle Texas.”
The Longhorns draw on their experiences from the Big 12 Conference for the forthcoming match.
“Just like Saturday-Mondays in the Big 12, we were lucky enough to play three of those this season,” Texas forward Dylan Disu said. “So we have a little bit of experience with quick turnarounds and one-day preps.”
Toughness defines Tennessee’s approach, with Barnes emphasizing defensive tenacity as a key component for success. Their defeats this season often stemmed from yielding 85 points or more.
“We’ve still got to come out strong,” Zeigler said. “We’ve still got to be ourselves and be a tough team.”
Scoring a season-low in their recent triumph against Colorado State with a 56-44 victory, the Longhorns understand the necessity to elevate their offensive output. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, they surpassed the 80-point mark in four out of five games.
Anticipating increased offensive contributions from Disu and top scorer guard Max Abmas averaging 17.0 points per game, Terry provided a clear directive to Disu.
“You’re a big-time player,” the coach said he told him. “This is your time. This is your stage right now. You and Max, you guys go to work right now.”
The impending matchup offers a glimpse into potential future contests within the Southeastern Conference, as Texas is set to join the SEC this summer.
