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Tennessee basketball: Five underachieving Rick Barnes teams that resemble 2020-21 Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

WACO, TX - JANUARY 31: Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes has words for his team against the Baylor Bears on January 31, 2015 at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
WACO, TX - JANUARY 31: Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes has words for his team against the Baylor Bears on January 31, 2015 at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /
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29 Nov 1997: Coach Rick Barnes of the Clemson Tigers gives instructions to his players during a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at the Premier Classic at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Kentucky won the game 76-61. Mandatory Credit: Todd
29 Nov 1997: Coach Rick Barnes of the Clemson Tigers gives instructions to his players during a game against the Kentucky Wildcats at the Premier Classic at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Kentucky won the game 76-61. Mandatory Credit: Todd /

team. 432. . 1997-1998. . Tigers . 2

18-14 (7-9 ACC)

Lost in NCAA Tournament Round of 64

Before Rick Barnes took over the Texas Longhorns, he built a reputation as a coach who wouldn’t back down from the ACC “blue bloods” while coaching the Clemson Tigers. That paid off in 1996-1997, as Clemson went 23-10 and reached the Sweet 16.

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With the loss of only one starter and the return of leading scorers Greg Buckner and Terrell McIntyre, Clemson opened the year ranked No. 5. They never lived up to that ranking. The Tigers started 3-0 before losing two straight to the Gonzaga Bulldogs and No. 8 ranked Kentucky Wildcats. That knocked them to No. 17 to start December.

Despite a loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini, though, they seemed to still be in good shape after beating the No. 23 ranked Maryland Terrapins and No. 6 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in December. Entering ACC play in January, they were 10-3 and ranked No. 21. But they were inconsistent all year in the ACC.

Sure, Clemson got a top 25 win over the Florida State Seminoles. However, they were swept by both the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. They also suffered five losses to unranked teams, including Maryland in a rematch, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, the N.C. State Wolfpack, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Virginia Cavaliers.

Despite beating Wake in the first round of the ACC Tournament, they then lost to Duke. At 18-13, a brutal schedule was enough to earn them a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they lost in the first round to the Western Michigan Broncos. A preseason No. 5 ranking ended with failing to reach 20 wins, advance in the NCAA Tournament or finish in the top 25.

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Barnes still had enough of a profile to leave for Texas at the end of the job despite underachieving. This was ironically Tennessee basketball’s first year in the NCAA Tournament in nine year, as they were under first-year head coach Jerry Green and beginning a four-year run marked by incredible success but also remembered for lots of underachieving.

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