Tennessee Basketball's Rick Barnes Shares Hilarious Comment Following Win Over Auburn

Rick Barnes had a hilarious comment to share after the Tennessee basketball team defeated the Auburn Tigers on Saturday night.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes yells during a NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 31, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have been on a mission here recently, as they have defeated many talented programs. They had a rough start to SEC play, but they have found their groove in this most recent stretch of games. They finished the month of January the right way after they defeated a tough Alabama team, a gritty Georgia Bulldogs team, and a blue-blood Auburn team.

Their win over the Tigers was on Saturday night to close out the month of January, which was arguably their biggest win of the month. Auburn has a ton of talent on its roster, and it is coached by Steven Pearl, which has made the Auburn-Tennessee game even more personal for the Vols. This is the case because Steven's father, Bruce, is a former Tennessee head coach who just retired from basketball this offseason.

This win for the Vols was a huge one, as it was yet another ranked victory for the orange and white, as they look to find themselves back in the rankings. Following the contest, the Vols would speak to the media, and coach Rick Barnes was one of the people to take the stand as usual. He had a big message to say to the media, as he would crack a joke when talking about the late game pass selection from the roster, and how he had started to question some things. Here is what he had to say when speaking to the media.

Rick Barnes Talks to Tennessee Media and Shares Hilarious Comment

Jan 28, 2026; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes reacts on the sideline against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"At the end of the game with some of the passes that we throw it's just... sometimes I wonder if my guys are betting on games," Barnes said jokingly. "But I'm just wondering what's happening, because I know we are too good of players to do that. Was that bad," Barnes asked. "I apologize I shouldn't of said that.

The Vols finished the game with 15 turnovers. That is an average of nearly four every 10 minutes of game time. That is quite a lot, and they finished with a higher statistic than the Auburn Tigers in that category. The Tigers had only 10 on the day, compared to the Vols' 15, but that didn't change the outcome, as the Vols finished the day with better shooting percentages from the field and 16 more rebounds than the Pearl-led Tigers.

The Vols will be back in action during the mid-week when they take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Tuesday.

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