Tennessee Vols morning report: Rick Barnes talks SEC Tournament
The SEC Tournament is underway, and while the Tennessee Vols still have to wait another day before taking part in it themselves, the news surrounding the event is still relevant to them. After all, they will face the winner of Thursday’s game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with continuing coverage of that event. The men’s basketball team had multiple people speak to the media Wednesday in preparation for the event, and we’ll break down what they said. Speaking of media sessions, we’ve also got a football interview to bring you.
Beyond men’s basketball and football, we’ve got an update on a midweek baseball series to recap along with more postseason success in the swimming and diving program. It’s not a huge news day, but the stories are definitely worth covering, so let’s dive in with men’s basketball.
Coaches, players talk SEC Tournament – Ben McKee, VolQuest
Ahead of the Tennessee Vols men’s basketball program’s first SEC Tournament game, Rick Barnes, Justin Gainey and Zakai Zeigler all spoke about the event. Barnes talked about whether or not his team is playing its best all year. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“If we want to be the team that we want to be we have to look at that. We could be playing for another month if we can. To do that you have to get better.”"
Gainey talked about the level of play in the SEC, as this is the assistant’s first year coaching in that conference. This is how he described it.
"“I’ve been in the ACC. I was in the Pac-12. I’ve been in the Big East as well, and this year in the SEC has been as good as any I’ve ever been a part of.”"
Zeigler talked about the support he got from UT fans with his NIL deal and the GoFundMe to assist his family after their possessions were lost in a New York City fire. Here’s a bit of what he said.
"“It meant everything. I didn’t even expect the support to be that much. I knew everybody had love for me, but it just blew me and my family away.”"
New WR coach speaks on Vol Calls – Patrick Brown, GoVols247
After being promoted from an off-field assistant to the Tennessee Vols football team’s wide receivers coach as Kodi Burns’ replacement, Kelsey Pope went on Vol Calls. Here’s what he said about being a good fit with Josh Heupel and Alex Golesh.
"“I think for one, I think we all value people, and I think any time you have a group that values, I think the dynamic will be good. The next part of that, the detail aspect. Those guys are really, really big harpers on details. They care about the details. They’re obsessed with details, and I’m the same way. I was that way as a player, obviously that way as a coach.”"
Baseball sweeps James Madison – Ken Lay, VolsWire.com
On Wednesday, the top five Tennessee Vols baseball team beat the James Madison Dukes twice. They first won 9-8 in extra innings in a game that was finished from the previous day after it was postponed with a 7-7 tie. Then they set a program record for home runs in a 10-2 win.
"Tennessee (12-1) hit seven home runs against the Dukes (8-6). Jared Dickey went 2-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs and Evan Russell was 3-for-4 with a double, one run and one RBI to lead a Tennessee offensive attack that generated 14 hits."
Two more qualify for NCAAs in Swimming and Diving – UTSports
A pair of sophomore divers for the Tennessee Vols swimming and diving program qualified for the NCAA Championships Wednesday to wrap up the Zone B Championships. Bryden Hattie and and Jacob Reaser joined the group who already made it.
"For the week, four different Tennessee divers punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships. Three of the four qualified for multiple events."