Rick Barnes' best wins and moments at Tennessee

2022 vs No. 2 Gonzaga and No. 3 Kansas

I am pairing these two games together because the Gonzaga win was an exhibition and did not count towards Tennessee’s season record, but it should be recognized because these were two early season wins that set the standard for the 2022 season.

Although it wasn't a win that was added to the season's win column, the Vols' 99-80 win over Gonzaga, it was a strong showing of seven different players contributing for Tennessee. It was a full team effort and the first strong showing of the Vols and what they can accomplish during that season.

The win over Kansas was for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship. The Vols played another great game in this one, winning 64-50. Similar to the Vols' 2021 win over Kansas, Tennessee's defense and rebounding were the difference in this game and too much for the defending national champions.

Santiago Vescovi led the Vols offensively with 20 points. Josiah-Jordan James missed this game, so the Vols had to do it down their leading scorer. This allowed Zakai Zeigler to give us a preview of what type of production he is capable of in the future. Zeigler was not a starter at this point but he was still one of the largest contributors on the roster.

Zeigler showed his offensive and defensive prowess off the bench and created a standard for the 2022 season and beyond. Thanks to Barnes' leadership and Zeigler's har work, the Vols' guard earned the 2023-24SEC Defensive Player of the Year.