Rick Barnes shares what will make Tennessee successful in February

The Tennessee Volunteers are having an impressive season, currently sitting at 18-3 and ranked No. 2 in the nation. But there is always room for improvement, especially as tournament time inches closer and closer. So, with that in mind, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes shared his list of things his team will need to improve on to be successful in February and through the last part of the season.

“I think ball scream defense will always start on the defensive end where you got to be good,” said Barnes. “You got to be really good in ball screen coverage, got to be able to guard, gotta win those individual battles, rebounding, and then the fact that now you’re looking for consistency. I think role definition becomes probably more important; it becomes a little bit clearer. But with that said, knowing there’s a lot of basketball left to play, that could still change a little bit too.

“And then on the offensive end, we’ve gotta be consistent. We’ve gotta get certain guys in certain areas of the court where they can be effective. And that’s on me, obviously.”

As Barnes attempted to highlight what needs to be done offensively, he was reminded of one struggle in particular that came up in Saturday’s matchup against Texas. The Volunteers struggled from beyond the arc, only making six of their 19 three-point attempts. Still, it was their transition defense that truly got underneath his skin.

“But I would say to you one thing for certain; we gotta get better transition defense. That is an absolute must. We’ve got to get better there. We gave up a couple of wide-open shots in the game Saturday. And we can’t do that as we continue to go through February.

Barnes shares thoughts from film on Texas game

On Monday, after getting some time to go over the film and recap the matchup, Barnes shared his thoughts on the film of the game.

“Well, one, it was a really hard-fought game both ways. I mean, both teams weren’t giving up a lot on the defensive end,” said Barnes. “I thought the second half; it’s my fault certainly; I thought Santi, probably more than anyone, got a little fatigued. And then Marcus Carr didn’t play much in the first half, and he came back and was certainly fresh in the second half.”

A few Texas starters found themselves in foul trouble in the first half of the game, allowing the Volunteers to take a 12-point lead into the half. Tennessee was paced by senior forward Oliver Nkamhoua, who finished the first half with 14 of his 27 points. However, in the second half, the Longhorns’ offense woke up, giving the Volunteers’ defense some fits.

Tennessee’s defensive trouble in the second half against Texas resulted in the Longhorns outscoring the Volunteers 43-42 in the half. And regardless of the win, Barnes was not happy with the defense after reviewing the film.