What Rick Barnes said about Tennessee's 'ridiculous' fouls on 3-point shooters

It happened right in front of the Tennessee bench. The corner of the court directly in front of head coach Rick Barnes. 

Vanderbilt moved the ball for a corner 3-point attempt from Jason Edwards and Zakai Zeigler closed out hard on the play, lunging to try to defend the shot. The senior point guard was called for a foul, his second of the game and the one that changed everything for the Vols. 

“It was just no reason for it,” Barnes said after the game. “And there was never a reason to foul a three.”

Zeigler didn’t play the final seven minutes of the half, while Vanderbilt turned a 26-21 deficit into a 41-35 lead at the break, outscoring Tennessee 20-9 with Zeigler on the bench. The Vols went 1-for-6 from the field, going nearly six minutes without a field goal, and committed three turnovers without their point guard on the floor.

“I thought Zakai’s 3-point foul was ridiculous,” Barnes said, “that he would put himself in that situation. I mean, he fouled. He can’t do that.”

‘We can’t foul 3-point shooters … we’ve done it too much this year’

The half ended with a foul at the 3-point line that was somehow worse. This time it was Jahmai Mashack fouling Tyler Nickel with 3.5 seconds left in the half. He made the shot and the free throw, using the four-point play to turn a one-possession game into a six-point lead in an instant.  

“I mean, you’re talking about two seniors that, and I love him to death, we can’t foul 3-point shooters,” Barnes said. “And we’ve done it too much this year. And today we did it and those four points are huge. And it’s just we can’t do that.”

Tennessee did it three times in the 66-64 win at Illinois on December 14. There was another one at Florida two weeks ago, one against Virginia in the Bahamas in November and another against UT Martin, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Barnes was asked after Tennessee’s 76-75 loss at Memorial Gymnasium to diagnose the problem. Why is fouling 3-point shooters a mistake that the Vols can’t seem to shake?

“Too competitive,” Barnes said. “Thinking they’re going to block a shot or stop everybody. Thinking we’re literally going to keep people from getting a shot off.”

Zeigler and Mashack are considered two of the best perimeter defenders in the SEC — Zeigler is the defending SEC Defensive Player of the Year —  if not in the country. But being too defensive minded is costing them at the 3-point line.

“You absolutely can’t foul a 3-point shooter,” Barnes said. “It’s been all year. It hasn’t been just today, but by now, by the time you get to January, you got to understand you can’t even put yourself close to that position.” 

Up Next: No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Mississippi State, Tuesday

Tennessee players can’t put officials in that position, either.

Barnes also noted the difference between the contact allowed on shooters at the 3-point line versus contact allowed in other areas on the court.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “They’ll call the least bit of contact on those (3-point shots), protecting the shooter, because they feel he is airborne, he’s coming down. I’ve got no problem with that rule.”

Barnes has a problem with his players forcing a judgement call — with the judgement going against the Vols too many times this season.

“I got a problem if you put yourself in a position,” Barnes said. “You’re putting the referee in a tough position to make a call. I don’t think they want to, but you got to call the rules of the game. Very little contact, but contact is contact.”