Tennessee Basketball HC Rick Barnes Reacts Win Over Gardner-Webb

Rick Barnes meets with reporters following a win over Gardner-Webb.

Dec 21, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes speaks with the media after the game against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

The Tennessee basketball team is now 9-3 on the season after a nice outing on Sunday afternoon. The Vols would defeat visiting Gardner-Webb 94-52 inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

The Rick Barnes led team had the game in their hands pretty early on and never lost control of the match-up. Following the dominating performance, Barnes would meet with reporters for the last postgame press conference until after Christmas.

First Media Timeout Message

Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes calls for a timeout during an NCAA college basketball game against Gardner-Webb on Dec. 21, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“The start of the game, as long as we’re trying to what we’re trying to do. We missed some shots that were there, but it’s just simply that we’re going to play the right way. And if you don’t, because we knew this coming in and we’re still trying to figure a way every game to get the guys that are playing, all of them if they can, to play, and that was, we’re going to play the right way. If not, we’re going get the guys out there that play the right way."

“And I thought the first half, I thought pretty much for the whole game, our guys did a good job. You get a lead like that, it’s hard sometimes not to continue with the concentration of what we’re trying to do. They played zone most of the night, which we hadn’t seen that all year. So, yesterday in practice was the first time all year that we’ve spent any time really working against it. Because we feel like the ball-handlers we have and post guys and shooters will be fine against those zones," Barnes explains.

Clarence Massamba

Dec 21, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs guard D.J. Jefferson (4) shoots the ball against Tennessee Volunteers guard Clarence Massamba (4) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

“He’s the one guy that, I’ve said it to you guys before. He’s the one guy that personally, I just felt like I had to get him out there more. Because, from the time he got here, in the fall, he just reminds me of a lot of Yves Pons and the fact that he’s so driven. He never complains about anything. He’s just all about what do I have to do to get better, and when you watch him, I stand there every day and watch him start practicing, just the short shooting or whatever drill we’re in, he just goes at maybe harder than anybody on the team. When you got a guy like that, just there’s something in your gut that says we’ve got to give him a chance to get out there. And the more the more he gets out there, the better he is going to be," Barnes said.

Click HERE to watch and listen to everything Rick Barnes said following the dominating win over Gardner-Webb.

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