Rick Barnes says rebounding key to rematch with Kentucky

Last month, Kentucky went to Knoxville and knocked off the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers 63-56. Given the Cats’ loss to South Carolina just four days prior, it was one of the most stunning upsets in college basketball this season. At tipoff, Kentucky was an 11.5-point underdog. When the Volunteers jumped out to an 8-0 lead, it looked like the Cats were headed toward another embarrassing loss. Instead, they fought back and won 63-56, turning the season around.

Tomorrow, Tennessee comes to Rupp Arena for a rematch. The Vols are flying high after taking down No. 1 Alabama on Wednesday, a huge win after back-to-back losses. For Kentucky, the stakes are high. Win and you’re probably into the NCAA Tournament. For Tennessee, it’s a chance to avenge last month’s loss and stay in the hunt for a top seed.

This morning, Rick Barnes met with the media to preview the matchup. He said rebounding will be the key to the Vols avoiding a sweep. Kentucky outrebounded Tennessee 43 to 23 in the first meeting. The Vols have a +10.5 rebound margin in their wins and a -1.5 rebound margin in their losses. Kentucky and Tennessee are tied for first in the SEC and eighth nationally in rebounding margin at +7.7 RPG.

“They just absolutely annihilated us on the glass,” Barnes said. “I think doubled us up. The fact is, we had a lot of blown coverages. They played really good basketball. But we’ve got to do a better job on the boards. Certainly, we’ve got to do a better job with our scouting report.”

As mentioned, Tennessee got off to a hot start in last month’s game, leading 8-0 at the 17:33 mark. Kentucky countered with a 13-2 run and went into halftime with a 33-26 lead thanks to a 12-3 run over the final four minutes.

“We came out, remember I think we got an 8-0 lead or something like that, the first time out,” Barnes said. “Then when we first started subbing, we just totally lost what momentum we had and they captured it. I thought their game plan, they were being efficient with everything they were doing. We got anxious and started really (being) undisciplined and leaving shooters. Doing things that you can’t do against any team you play against when you’ve scouted them.”

Barnes hoping for better shooting in Round Two

Kentucky’s defense is to be commended for its performance vs. Tennessee last month, but it’s worth noting that the Vols missed plenty of shots all on their own. Tennessee made only 3-21 (14.3%) three-pointers and 10-21 (47.6%) layups. Today, Barnes said that despite their struggles in the first matchup, he feels good about his guys in the post, particularly Uros Plavsic, who finished with a game-high 19 points on 9-11 from the field.

“We feel confident with Uros (Plavsic), Olivier (Nkamhoua), Jonas (Aidoo), and Tobe (Awaka),” Barnes said. “The last time we played them, (Plavsic) did score the ball well down there for us. But we don’t go into this game thinking it’s going to be played the same way because we know Kentucky is going to make some adjustments and do some different things. As we will have to, too.”

Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee’s leading three-point shooter, made just one of six threes vs. Kentucky last month. Fellow guards Zakai Zeigler and Tyreke Key were a combined 1-7 from the outside. In their six losses this season, the Vols have shot only 28.7% from beyond the arc. Barnes hopes that number is much higher tomorrow.

“There have been nights — I think we are like any team. When we are shooting the basketball, I think any team in the country, when they are making shots, they are hard to beat. Any team at this level. If not, you’ve got to find a way to impact the game, affect the game and come away with a win. As coaches, I think if you asked any coach before a game, what is going through your mind? The answer would really be — if we were all honest — I hope we can make some shots. If we can make a bunch of them — we all know if we can make shots, we’ve got a chance.”