Tennessee basketball: 5 keys for Vols to navigate brutal part of their schedule
4. Rest the starters more often
Rick Barnes isn’t the type of coach to hand out minutes just because his team is up by double-digits. He’s had plenty of chances throughout the year, yet the rotation mainly consists of six players.
Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, and Jordan Bone are all averaging above 30 minutes per game which equates to over 79 percent of the game. In fact, Bone plays over 32 minutes a game which is 8th most in the SEC.
Guys like Jalen Johnson and Derrick Walker have seen action in more than half of the games yet average below than ten minutes a game.
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However, you never know what can happen in a matter of minutes during a college basketball game.
Look what Duke was able to do the other night at Louisville. The Blue Devils came storming back from 20 points down with seven minutes left in the game to win by two points.
Tennessee keeps winning, so it’s hard to complain about what they are doing. But, it wouldn’t hurt for Rick Barnes to clear the bench if he’s able to do so. The overall goal is to be rested for a run in the NCAA Tournament, so a little rest couldn’t hurt.