Rick Barnes after Florida loss: 'I don't think there's any gimmes'

No. 1 Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday night, getting walloped on the road by a very talented Florida team in a 73-43 blowout. Coach Rick Barnes knows if his team isn’t locked in more is on the way.

The SEC is simply that good this year.

And make no mistake about it: Tennessee has been phenomenal so far this season. That just underscores the strength of the SEC.

“I don’t know. I mean we know the league’s good,” coach Rick Barnes said. “It’s historic what’s happened in our league in the non-league. I think our teams have gotten better throughout. I think there’s outstanding coaches and players in the league. I don’t think there’s any gimmes.”

How’s this for a tough schedule? Nine of Tennessee’s 16 remaining SEC games will be against ranked opponents. And there are teams in the league that have an even tougher slate ahead than that. It’s absurd, on the surface. But such is life when the conference has been dominating all season long.

“I don’t think there’s any gimmes at home, I don’t think there’s any gimmes on the road,” Barnes said. “I just think that this league, we’ve built it to that. Something we all should be proud of. But there’s a lot of basketball left to play. The key is, honestly I’ve said it, we’re still in what the first week or so of January… if we don’t get better we’re not going to be any better.”

Tennessee, of course, will be looking to do just that. The program is in a tough stretch at the moment. After the Florida game was on the road, two of the next three will also be on the road.

Now, though, there should be no illusions about running roughshod over the rest of the league. Florida proved it’ll be a battle on a nightly basis. And not only can you get beat if you’re not locked in, you can get downright smacked. So Barnes is getting his group together again, ready to go for the next one.

“We’ve got to get better. We obviously do what we do to prepare for teams, but it’s about us,” Rick Barnes said. “Looking at ourselves and being honest and being real and saying, ‘OK, we came up short. Got beat by an outstanding team and pretty much any way you want to get beat got beat.’ And it’ll be good for us if we learn from it.”