Rick Barnes' five worst postseason losses at Tennessee

No. 2: 2023 Second Round vs No. 9 Florida Atlantic

This NCAA Tournament loss is the most fresh on Tennessee's mind. FAU's tournament run in last year's tournament captured the country by storm. It was set up with No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson upsetting No. 1 Purdue in the first round. FAU beat Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Tennessee to advance to the Elite Eight.

It looked like Tennessee would pull away late in the first half, but the Owls closed the gap and gave themselves some momentum heading into halftime. They hung around and gave themselves a chance to win late, and they took full advantage, taking the lead with nine minutes left in the game and never looking back.

While a loss against a nine-seed isn't typically too bad, but the run that Florida Atlantic went on after beating Tennessee makes this loss so high on the list. You may remember FAU defeating Tennessee on their way to a Final Four appearance and being one point shy of making the championship game.

It's hard to say Tennessee would have beaten Kansas State in the Elite Eight to advance to the Final Four, but you have to think they would have had a great opportunity to make program history. The Vols have never made a Final Four appearance, and 2023 might be the closest they will get under Barnes.

This loss all but put the nail in the coffin for Barnes haters. Tennessee fans and haters alike joked that this is the way Barnes coaches in March. He will never advance past the Sweet Sixteen. With all his great teams, he's only ever made three Elite Eight appearances and one trip to the Final Four.