Rick Barnes shares how Tyreke Key reacted to coming off the bench

With Tennessee dealing with injuries and sicknesses, Rick Barnes had to get creative with his lineups over the last week. However, after bringing senior guard Tyreke Key off the bench following a one-game absence due to illness, he was really proud of what he got out of the Celina, TN native.

Following the Volunteer’s 77-56 win at LSU on Saturday afternoon, Barnes said he appreciated Key’s play in his 18 minutes off the bench. After normally starting for Tennessee as of late, Barnes said Key came in with this new role, made an impact on the glass, and earned more minutes than he actually ended up playing with his performance.

“I thought he was terrific. Tyreke is one of those guys that’s been under the weather. But, early in the game, they were outrebounding us and he and Julian (Phillips) probably changed the rebounding,” said Barnes. “I mean Tyreke went and got three big offensive rebounds. I thought he really took some great balance shots and worked hard defensively.”

“He’ll play more minutes (than he did). I probably should’ve put him out there more tonight. I didn’t realize Santi (Vescovi) played as many minutes as he played…But I’m proud of Tyreke,” Barnes said. “Again, he’s been sick and, coming back out today, I thought he was really good.”

Key finished the afternoon in Baton Rouge with 10 points, seven rebounds, and a steal in his return. It was his most points in a game since December 7th as he shot 4-10 from the field. That included a 2-5 mark from distance. Still, the key to his game were those seven boards, including four on the offensive glass. Those helped Tennessee win the rebounding battle 34-29 while playing a small-ball lineup.

Considering he missed the previous game against Mississippi State, this was a nice return to the rotation for Key. Now, Barnes is hoping Tennessee can consistently get more of that same production out of him as the Volunteers come down the stretch of the season in February