Head Coach Rick Barnes Transcript

On how important for Uros Plavsic to have success against Walker Kessler…
“Well, again, I don’t know to put pressure on just one guy either because I think there are a lot of different ways you can go about it. We need all of our post guys. We need Uros. We need John Fulkerson. We’re going to need Brandon (Huntley-Hatfield), we’re going to need Jonas (Aidoo), we’re going to need them all. Obviously, Josiah (James) goes down there some when we size down, but Walker Kessler is having just a fabulous year. When you think about how he as impacted so many different games on the defensive end. Whether Uros is matched with him, I think all those guys are critical.”

On Santiago Vescovi’s growth in shooting since he arrived at Tennessee…
“What really makes it what it is, people will game plan for him every single night. He gets very little space, he works to get it. His teammates do a good job getting him open, he also screens to get them open and hope to get open himself. The fact is, where Santi is so different, his physical conditioning is at an extremely high level where he can just keep going. He plays really hard on the defensive end and plays really hard on the offensive end because he has too. His physical condition and his mental condition are at a very high, elite level.”

On the combination of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler…
“It is a great combination to have when you think about the length and skill level they bring. The fact is that they both really understand what they need to do to be successful together. They both affect the game in different ways. Certainly, you can talk about Walker’s shot-blocking ability but offensively he does a lot of things. Jabari is another guy whose versatility creates problems. When you have two guys like that it makes for a good team.”

On the importance of guard play going against Auburn…
“Guard play is important regardless of who we are playing. If you don’t have good guard play then it makes the game very difficult for everybody. Whether it is Auburn or anybody else in the country, we all know we need good guard play.”

On the strength of the SEC this season…
“I think there’s a lot of things that have changed in the past with our league. Obviously, I have said all along we’ve got terrific coaches in the league, but terrific coaches know that to be good at basketball or anything you have got the recruit well. You go back and look at the last couple of years we’re recruiting in our league at an extremely high level, multiple teams. If you’re going to compete at the highest level, it starts with that. Our league has improved so much in so many areas, but that’s one of the bigger areas. In fact, that not only we had been known for an athletic league but now you’re recruiting not only athletes but skilled players. It just makes our league that much better. I do think regardless of what numbers say, I can’t imagine a better league in the country than what we have right now. Like, I think all the coaches, we want to be well-represented in postseason play and the NCAA Tournament. I know people have to do work to get there, but still, I just think our league is the best. I hope we can eventually get to a point where people talk about us seven, eight teams in the tournament. I hope it happens for our league.”

On Tennessee getting big wins at home this season…
“I think we’ve had some good wins on the road too. I think it’s hard to win on the road. Our team, all of our losses have been to top-25 teams. I think our guys have grown and gotten better and that’s what we’ve asked them to do. We know that you can’t stay the same, we can’t stay the same right now. Regardless of what happens here in the regular season, from here until we go to the tournament you have got to continue to get better. Obviously, this time of year I think we all have to get through the nicks and injuries that come with this time of year. You have to really make that a priority that you want to keep your guys as fresh as possible and try to give them as much healing time as you can give them. Yet knowing that every game is going to be a hard-fought game that as long as we’re trying to get better that’s got to be our goal. Here, I don’t think there’s any question that we think that we have one of the great home court environments in all of college basketball. We’ve talked about it; I think our fan base is second to none. You put that with a group of guys that I think that our fan base really enjoys, and I think they appreciate the work ethic. I think they’ve appreciated how they’ve worked to try to get better. There’s been times this year where we’ve had three or four true freshmen on the court and to see how far they’ve come from the beginning is something I think people really appreciate. With all that said and done, I think Vol Nation is as good or better than any, I think it’s the best fan base, in all of athletics. I’m just blessed to have a part of it.”

On Auburn’s guard play…
“They are very explosive. They play hard, and obviously they can get going offensively, they can do it from different levels. Defensively, I think they are locked in as a team and they play hard. They are aggressive and combined, they can come at you from different angles.”

On Kennedy Chandler after watching the Missouri game back…
“He did do a lot of really good things. We talked to him all year about pace and having command of the game from his position, and he has improved a lot, really in the last two to three weeks. As a team, we have to continue to improve, I think it is a great compliment to individual players when they listen and they understand that the more that they can improve, the better they can get, and the more it will help our team be better and improve. There is no question that over the last three weeks, Kennedy has really improved on the things we have asked him to improve on.”

On what has made Auburn so tough to play over the last couple years…
“They are good. Bruce (Pearl) does a really nice job coaching his team and he knows how he wants to play. He has done a terrific job building this program and they are a good basketball team—they have done well. If you go back and look where they’ve been the last couple years and how they are doing things, they have worked hard to get the program where they want it and he has done a terrific job with it.”

On if John Fulkerson’s availability…
“Yeah, we hope so. He has not been able to practice very much, but we hope we can get him right.”

Junior Forward Josiah-Jordan James Quotables

On the Auburn and Tennessee rivalry growing…
“These two programs have been really solid in the past. We play each other every year and both teams’ fans get up for these kinds of games. I’m still trying to get my first win against them, they’ve won the last couple fair and square and now we’re just trying to level the playing field.”

On matching K.D. Johnson’s intensity on the court…
“You must be locked in because he is one of the reasons that they’ve had such a great season so far. We’ve scouted him and know what they like to do; especially because he’s such a big part of the team. You just have to know that he’s a great scorer and leader, and we’re going to have to stop him and match his intensity.”

On Tennessee winning big games at home this season…
“I give credit to TBA and our fan base. They give us the energy that we need, they have so far, and I don’t expect it to be any different on Saturday. We feed off the crowd’s energy and they get us going. Credit to them for all the success that we have had at home.”

On how Kennedy Chandler played against Missouri…
“Kennedy was great. I see it day in and day out, so I can’t say that was the best I’ve from him, but how he played against Missouri is what we expect to see. He’s an outstanding talent—teams must keep an eye on him and it’s hard to stop him. I know from experience that it’s tough. He’s doing a great job of controlling the flow on offense, and he’s doing a great job on defense as well.”