What Rick Barnes said after No. 11 Tennessee's 103-68 win over Austin Peay

Everything head coach Rick Barnes said after No. 11 Tennessee beat Austin Peay 103-68 Sunday afternoon at Food City Center:

Opening Statement

“Playing (Austin Peay), we knew they were going to be very aggressive on the perimeter. We didn’t want to play through the net. We kept talking about that with our guys. It was just so important to take care of the basketball. We knew that they changed defenses a lot, which was good for us. Obviously, I think our team came in with the utmost respect for them. The fact that they had already been on the road and won at Butler. And watched them on tape, how hard they play and how they really are a relentless team with their hands, really making plays going after the ball. And so I do appreciate the fact that our guys knew that there’s going to be a a game where they were really going to have to be strong with the ball. Obviously, with the court spread like that, whether we throw it in there, drive it in there, we knew we had to go inside anyway we could get it there. Thought we were very disciplined there in the first half, trying not to force threes that weren’t there. Really good job attacking the open areas.” 

An update on Tennessee sophomore JP Estrella’s foot injury

“It is day to day and it the same injury that he has dealt with. But again we are day to day until we can figure out a plan — a different plan, obviously. It is just day to day right now.”

If he was happy with how Tennessee took care of the ball after emphasizing turnover numbers

“In the first half, you really think about the way they, again, come different ways,  really try to throw in the element of surprise or aggressiveness, whatever you want to call it. First half, I think, we had nine but our post players had four of those. And where really because of spacing, we wanted to get the ball screen, wanted them to jump us hard. We were rolling too far out of it and allowing them to attack guys. We were rolling into them. We talked a lot about not doing that. We were a lot better with that in the second half of that. I thought Igor (Milicic) had a really good floor game, really helped us a lot. He and Zakai (Zeigler), again, I thought ‘Z’ was terrific playing the way we needed to play. I thought he did a good job just settling guys down with knowing how they play. There was a lot of really good things against, again, a team that is really hard to play against.”

If it’s concerning that JP Estrella’s foot injury is still an issue, his thoughts on Cade Phillips and his progression

“It is concerning. We know he wants to play. We know he has done everything he can do. I think the plan we had for him to start was the right plan. Again, they are day to day evaluating that to figure out now where do we go. We need Cade. I thought, again, for the most part other than when Cade gets in a little bit, he gets a little too relaxed and turns the ball over. The fact is, he has the ability. He can do a lot of things. The more he can play out there, the better he is going to be. I thought Shack today, we moved him in there some to play a little bit to play with basically four guards, which gives us that versatility to do that. There are times they had five guards on the court. Cade, we have got a lot of belief in him.”

If Igor Milicic’s biggest area of growth is the game slowing down

“I think he has relaxed, and I think that’s the right word. I think he’s rewired his brain and the fact that he doesn’t have to do something every time he gets it. He sees the game in a great way, and he’s getting better understanding what we need defensively. I thought Chaz today, even though he didn’t score the ball. I thought defensively, he was really locked in on that end. But Igor, he’s versatile. He can do a lot of things. He likes to pass the ball. He’s so different than he was a couple of weeks ago. He was just so antsy trying to make something happen every time. More and more, he’s letting the game come to him.”

What he expects in the Baha Mar Tournament this week

“I don’t know. Every game will take on its own identity. And Virginia is obviously a well coached team. I mean, every team is. I mean, we have so much respect for people we play against, and we know how we want to play. But the other team does too, and we try to take away what they want to do well. They’re gonna do the same thing to us, and that’s where it gets down to where guys have to play. Like today,, we didn’t play much offense today. We weren’t trying to run a lot of plays, we wanted to spread the floor out and open it up. But Virginia I don’t think it’ll be that kind of game. So every game will take on a different look. So what we’ve done up to this point, we hope it all translates when we go to The Bahamas. We got to get better, obviously. You learn something from each game and hopefully we learn something about ourselves front this one. 

How Zakai Zeigler’s vision, seeing the game has improved

“He’s impacted this program in, it’s phenomenal what that guy has done. For a guy that wasn’t recruited but believes so much in himself and the way he’s kept working at the game and doing what he does. But I think right now with him, the biggest thing is he’s learning how to play with a new team. And this is a whole, we got new guys around him. He’s learning how to play with Igor. He’s learning how to play with Chaz. He’s learning how to play with Felix, those guys, I mean, he’s learning how to do that, and we need him to continue, and he will. I mean, what he does — you all know what he does on the defense end, but he has improved so much in all the different areas on the offensive end. And it seems like every year has been a different team with him, but he’s found a way to adapt and adjust and get better with it.”

Jahmai Mashack’s lineup flexibility

“Just like Louisville (game), didn’t make a lot of buckets. I don’t think — I know he did a terrific job driving the ball today and getting to the free throw line, but, you got a guy that, you know, like, tonight, go back to Thomas, I think he was averaging — look at his line. He was 7-for-18, 1-for-6, 20 points, but he worked for them. He did. And I think he would say that, too. Jahmai is a guy that understands defense from every facet of how you need to play it. Like any team, when you’re playing against a guy that has a green light, he can go with it anytime he wants and kinda create whatever he needs to create. Those guys are hard to guard. All you can do is really try to play your position, hope they make difficult shots and over time take a lot of shots to get to a number. But, Shaq played every position again tonight. He just impacts the game because, not only what he’s doing, but his communication with his teammates. Talking to them about what’s going on out there with what they need to focus on what they need to do.”

How Tennessee center Felix Okpara is progressing

“We’re asking Felix to do a lot offensively. More probably so than in the past. He’s finding out that that closes down real quick when teams want you to score. Like, he’s fighting for his position. Hard, low, going now. He’s getting where he’s getting that. He’s gonna have to get it up to the rim quicker. Chin to rim. He’s going to have to do that. But he’s getting more and more, I think, familiar with playing with these guys and knowing where he needs to get on the floor to be effective.”