Tennessee Basketball HC Rick Barnes Reflects on Win Over Tennessee State

Rick Barnes speaks to the press following win.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes during a NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Tennessee State Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Nov. 20, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 20 ranked team is now 5-0 on the season after the Tennessee Volunteers successfully defended their home court.

The Vols defeated in-state opponent Tennessee State 89-60 inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

Following the winning efforts, head coach Rick Barnes was presented to the media for questions.

Tennessee Struggled Rebounding Against the Tigers

Tennessee forward JP Estrella (13) at the Food City Center for Tennessee Basketball media day on Tuesday Oct. 3, 2023. | Angelina Alcantar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Barnes quickly responded, "No, I don't think that."

"Again, one of the emphases was we needed to rebound outside of our zone. I think it’s a mindset. You know, I think that when you’ve got a young group that's, and I say young, young together, they look up at the scoreboard and they’re like, okay, we don’t have to put the effort in to go do the things. And that’s the most disappointing when you play a game and you get a lead and you stop, your mindset goes, okay, I want to score. I want to do this. I can let up a little bit. I think anybody, as hard as these guys work, if you’re playing around 20-minutes a game, you should be playing as hard as you can possibly play. And when you put a guy in the game that’s gone in and maybe played four minutes, he goes back and he doesn’t go all out, that’s the disappointing thing. We have to be one of the hardest playing teams in the country or we’re not going to be able to use our depth the way we need to. And yet we have not figured out how to do that yet in terms of attacking, approach, trying to keep the tempo where we want it and where we need to get it," Barnes said.

Timeline for Bishop Boswell

Tennessee guard Bishop Boswell (3) watches warm-ups during a NCAA basketball game between Tennessee Volunteers and North Florida Ospreys at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn. on Nov. 12, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“No, we don’t," Barnes replied.

"It went from his foot, which I think is better now, but moved into his leg, hamstring. Bishop is above and beyond doing what he is supposed to do. We’ve got to get him right. He has had some of that pain in his hamstring and you guys know how that injury (can be) if you don’t get it right, it lingers and we don’t want that to happen.”

Click HERE to watch and listen to everything from Rick Barnes following the win over TSU.

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