Vols in for another challenge against rival Florida
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes finds himself in an unfamiliar situation.
Following the Vols' 86-69 defeat at the hands of Arkansas in Fayetteville on Tuesday, UT now sits at eighth in the SEC with just three games remaining on its regular schedule.
At this time a year ago, Tennessee was a top-five team with national championship aspirations led by the veteran duo of Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. Now, the Vols are a shell of their former selves and are hoping to skate by with a postseason appearance.
Their fortunes won't be any easier come Saturday, either.
Squaring off against rival Florida for the first time this season, Barnes and the Vols are going up against a group that is playing their best basketball at the perfect time.
"When you go back over their last five games, their numbers are very impressive, they're playing really good basketball," Barnes said. "Mike (White) has to be pleased with them."
Florida boasts a talented roster that includes Keyontae Johnson, Kerry Blackshear and former Tennessee recruit Ques Glover.
The Gators have won four of their last five games and are averaging 75 points per game during that span. Mike White's team also boasts the SEC's fourth-most efficient offense.
For Barnes, the talent is there, but White's coaching job to close the season is what has been making Florida a dangerous opponent for anybody in the conference.
"Obviously at this level, you have to have good talent if you're winning," Barnes said. "This is the time of the year that you want to be at your best and he's got them playing that way."
Returning home for the first time since Feb. 18, the Vols are in a position to claim their fourth consecutive win over the Gators, their longest such streak of this decade.
While being at home used to be a safe haven for Tennessee, the same can't be said about this current group.
UT is just 10-5 at Thompson-Boling Arena this season, with losses to Memphis, Wisconsin, LSU, Texas A&M and Kentucky highlighting the Vols' dips points at home this season.
Prior to its loss to Memphis on Dec. 14, Tennessee had won 31 consecutive games in Knoxville, the longest such streak in the country over the last two years.
With that being said, the Vols are well-aware that playing in front of a home crowd doesn't guarantee anything, and that's why they're taking a careful and cautious approach.
"Just being at home doesn't guarantee anything unless you're willing to get better, look at what you do and make it happen yourself," Barnes said. "We've got to have a much better performance obviously tomorrow than we did at Arkansas."
Tipoff is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
