Rick Barnes reaffirms confidence in Tennessee after Kentucky loss: 'We're not doing that bad'

Tennessee is doing just fine despite losing two straight and three of four to currently be 4-4 in the SEC.

Rick Barnes said so following the Vols’ latest loss at 78-73 to Kentucky on Tuesday. Having taken that many so far in the league isn’t ideal but, considering the context in which they came in and the fact that they’re the only ones on their entire record, Barnes isn’t too worried about where his team is at.

“Well, one, you know, we’ve lost four games. So we’re not that bad, okay,” Barnes said postgame. “We’re not doing that bad.”

Such is life right now in the Southeastern Conference. All of the teams in it had good to great marks in the non-conference yet almost all have taken a couple of losses now in league play. That includes Tennessee who did lose at No. 8 Florida by 30 but also lost at Vanderbilt, at No. 1 Auburn, and to No. 12 Kentucky by a total of eight points.

“You know, we’re in the best league in the country against a team that has had big wins,” Barnes said. “There’s no given that we’re going to win every game, even if we play well. We want to win every game but, that team we’re playing? They want to win too.”

With that, Barnes says the Volunteers just need to be a couple of possessions better each game. That could’ve been all the difference in them avoiding a few of those losses and is proving to be the difference each time a game tips off right now in the SEC.

“I think this league is such a fine line that the details matter a lot. Possessions matter, you know,” said Barnes. “You know, coaches always talk about there’s ten, four-minute games. You’ve got to win ’em. Well there’s been teams, what, a week and a half ago, a week ago, that won nine of those and lost the last one and lost the game. So, to me, it’s more about winning possessions and you’ve got to win enough possessions. We didn’t win enough possessions.”

The Volunteers just have to get to their next games, including a rematch this weekend in hopes of some payback against the Gators.

“It won’t get any easier,” said Barnes. “I know our guys are disappointed – which, I know how much they care, I know how hard they work. But, again, we’ve lost four games, what, all against Top-10 teams. So we can get better and we’ve got to get better. And, knowing what I know about these guys, I think we will get better.”

“If it didn’t hurt them, I’d be concerned but I know how it hurts them,” Barnes said.