Rick Barnes' best wins and moments at Tennessee

2021 vs No. 15 Kansas

This year was a reset year for the Vols. Barnes and the Vols are coming out of the COVID season and turn a new page of Tennessee basketball. The Vols only won 18 games but made a statement in their 19-point win over powerhouse Kansas. 

The 2020-21 season didn’t end how we would want it, but it was a foundation for where Barnes currently has the program. The Vols were in a different spot before 2020, with Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield, but the 2021 season was a reset and winning a big game against a blue blood like Kansas turned the page for the better for Tennessee.

The Vols' 80-61 win was dominant and even Jayhawks head coach Bill Self credited Barnes' Vols for creating mismatches and defending Kansas with Barnes' patented restrictive defense.

“We were bad and Tennessee was great," Self said. "I don’t think we did anything to make them play poorly. And I think they did a lot of things to make us play poorly.”

Tennessee dominated on the glass, getting 15 more rebounds than Kansas in this game. They also shot over 50% from the field and proved why they should be a threat to the entire SEC moving forward.

This win also moved Barnes ahead of Self in all-time wins, with 721 career wins. Winning a game like this isn't just a helpful resume builder but it can be used as an expectation for every team moving forward. That's how Tennessee should play. They should outrebound thieir opponents, play a more physical game, and dominate in the paint. That's how Tennessee wins long-term.