Rick Barnes emphasizes rebounding against Texas A&M

No. 5 Tennessee will be looking to repay a favor tomorrow against Texas A&M in a rematch from two weeks ago. If they’re going to get the victory over the Aggies this time, though, Rick Barnes knows that winning the glass is going to play an important part.

Barnes spoke about the Volunteers’ rebounding against the Aggies ahead of tomorrow’s game during a media availability earlier today. He says it has to be better than it was in College Station earlier this month against a team that makes a living in that aspect. That means it’s going to take more than just putting a body on someone to go secure boards.

“It has got to get better,” said Barnes. “You’re talking about a team that, again, there’s none better, really.”

“It’s not just a matter of blocking out. You’ve got to be able to go get it,” Barnes said.

Texas A&M is one of the national leaders in rebounding statistics across the board. They’re eighth in total rebounds with 1,121 and third in rebounds per game at 43.1. They’re also tied for fourth in rebounding margin at plus nine on the year. In total, they have five different players averaging five or more rebounds on the season in Andersson Garcia (9.4), Henry Coleman III (6.6), Tyrece Radford (5.3), Solomon Washington (5.1), and Jace Carter (5.1).

In their 85-69 win over Tennessee on February 10th, Texas A&M won the glass by eight with a final rebounding margin of 43 to 35. They grabbed six more on the defensive glass while getting two more on the offensive one. Garcia, the Aggies’ leading rebounder, led that effort off of the bench. He secured 17 rebounds, nine on offense and eight on defense, on his own.

The Volunteers, who average 38.7 rebounds as a team, want to keep getting better in that area of the game. They’ll get a chance to prove it on Saturday, and they’ll have to in Barnes’ eyes, against one of the best in the business in Texas A&M.

“I think anybody that plays against some of the best teams knows that rebounding is a major part of it,” said Barnes. “We’ve got to continue to get better there. I mean I don’t think we’re where we need to be, where we want to be, and, certainly, what we need to be. But we need to be there tomorrow.”

How Tennessee can still secure a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

Three teams are excellent shape to land a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in Purdue, UConn, and Houston. However, the fourth and final one seems to be up for grabs at this point.

On3’s James Fletcher spoke with Andy Staples recently to discuss the possible No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Fletcher still has Arizona on the one-seed line but just barely ahead of North Carolina. The committee had UNC at No. 5 overall and Tennessee at No. 6 overall behind the Wildcats. All three of those teams have five regular season games remaining to try to improve their resume.

The Vols have an impressive resumé despite dropping six games. They have five Quad 1 wins and opportunities for more with games coming up against Auburn, Alabama, and Kentucky.

“I’ve got Arizona, North Carolina, and then we’ll move to Tennessee as the No. 6 overall team,” Fletcher said. “They’ve got the most Quad 1 wins in the SEC, despite not being at the top of those conference standings.”