Rick Barnes responds to belief that winning SEC Tournament is tougher than NCAA Tournament

This season, the SEC is considered to be one of the best conferences of all time. In fact, the prestigious conference is so loaded with talent this year that some fans are claiming it’s more difficult to win the SEC Tournament than the national championship. After Tennessee‘s win over Auburn on Saturday, Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes weighed in on this hot take.

“Well, you have to think about it. Yeah, it’s tougher because of the fact if you win it, you have to go three days in a row,” Barnes said. “You’re not going to have to do that, and you get a day in between. There’s no day in between here.

“Such quick turnarounds. It’s tough. I mean, I think as coaches we had our wish, we probably would wish it would end today because tomorrow it’s going to be another hard-fought game for two teams. You turn around, with all the attention heading into March Madness, you got to keep your guys focused and there.”

Barnes didn’t point to the SEC’s talent as the reason the conference tournament is so grueling, but instead, the schedule. If one of the bottom four seeds won the SEC Tournament, they would have to play five consecutive days.

Due to Tennessee’s success in the regular season, it was awarded a 4-seed in the SEC Tournament and a double bye. Nonetheless, Tennessee’s showdown against Florida on Sunday will be its third game in 72 hours.

“I just think anytime you go in, like these multiple team tournaments that we have early in the year, I think coaches are wanting to get away from the three days. It’s a grind, hard on you, just because of the quick turnarounds, not your normal preparation,” Rick Barnes said.

“It’s really hard to win a conference tournament because… We haven’t been in a three-day all year. We have in the past and it’s tough to do that.”

Tennessee hasn’t played three consecutive games this season but it has played two. In November, the Volunteers defeated Virginia and Baylor in back-to-back days to claim the Baha Mar Championship title.

The experience could be an advantage for Tennessee against the Gators, who haven’t played on back-to-back days this season. Nonetheless, Florida has looked formidable in recent weeks, most recently dominating Alabama 104-82 in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

Tennessee will square off against Florida at 1 p.m. ET with the SEC Tournament title on the line. The game will air live on ESPN.