Rick Barnes details importance of Tennessee's defense

Rick Barnes has one expectation at Tennessee: Defense. The Volunteers have been one of the nation’s best defensive units under Barnes and that objective hasn’t changed with this season’s team. Although they’ve already put up numbers that suggest they’re still amongst the best to start this season, he still wants to see more.

Barnes spoke about the Vol’s defensive effort in his press conference following their 76-40 win over McNeese State on Wednesday. He said their depth will allow him to build the rotation exactly how he wants it. That means he’s keeping in mind which of his players are doing what’s being asked of them defensively.

“We talked about our depth and tonight, regardless of what the score was, we said, ‘Hey. If you don’t do your job (defensively), you’re coming out of the game’. Whether it’s a missed free throw block out, whether you didn’t rebound the ball. Whatever it may be,” Barnes said. “It wasn’t a lot. But we’re trying to get this team to totally understand their roles and the defensive mentality we have to have.”

Through their 6-1 start, the Volunteers have shown their potential to again be a tough out defensively. They’ve allowed the sixth-fewest points per game in the nation (53.1) and have the fifth-best defensive rating (76.4). Of their seven games, they’ve held five of their opponents to 50 points or less, including the defending champion Kansas Jayhawks en route to winning the Battle 4 Atlantis last week.

Still, Barnes wants to see better as his team ramps up to finish their non-conference slate and open SEC play. While some would be more than pleased with a 36-point victory after holding a mid-major to 28.6% shooting from the floor and forcing 24 turnovers, Barnes still found a way to suggest his team needs to grow on that side of the ball.

“We’ve still got to get better. I will tell you that,” said Barnes. “I mean 18 offensive rebounds? (That) means there was 18 possessions we didn’t finish. We’ve obviously got to clean that up.”

This mindset is how Barnes has built his program on Rocky Top, though. If nothing else, you know Tennessee has an identity on the defensive end that has allowed them to succeed under his leadership. It’s also exactly what they need to focus on as they reach the next stretch of their schedule which features Top-25 teams in Maryland and Arizona before they open the conference season to end December.