What Rick Barnes said after Tennessee's 75-43 win over Tennessee Tech

Tennessee got an opening night win over Tennessee Tech.

Everything head coach Rick Barnes said after No. 11 Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech 75-43 to open the regular-season schedule Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena:

WHAT HE SAW IN THE FIRST HALF

“I thought we played really hard. I really thought we played hard defensively. On the offensive end, I thought we were, again, shots, we’re going to shoot the ball. We’ve worked too hard not to do that. I’m not sure we had many of them that were what I would call a bad shot. We knew going in that (Tennessee Tech) was going to pack it back in there. We knew that if played inside out, that’s what it would be. We said hey, if we’re open, take it. Didn’t get done what we wanted to get done on the offensive boards or the defensive boards, the way we grade out. We didn’t get our number there. But I do think that we really worked hard defensively. If we’re open, we’re going to shoot the ball. We, again, have to do a better job on both ends rebounding, not fouling the way we fouled. We turned it over. Our guards I think had nine turnovers between them, and that shouldn’t happen. Good effort. Good effort defensively. That’s a team that I think is going to win games. (Tennessee Tech does) a lot of good things with their schemes. With their ball-screen action, I thought again defensively we did a lot of different things with our defense. Overall, there was some good things. Being the first game, there’s a lot we have to clean up.”

IF HE FELT ANYTHING CHANGED OFFENSIVE IN THE SECOND HALF

“What we didn’t do, again, we felt with the pace we want to play, that we were going to play against a tempo press, a 2-2-1 or a 1-2-2. So we worked on that this week and talked that we wanted to play with the pace that we want to play with. Really try to make our depth a factor when we can. And we told them as it goes on, maybe one or two passes, three or four passes, but execute what we want on the offensive movement. But we didn’t do that as well. Honestly, we didn’t spend a lot of time with it. I thought the whole group would flow right into it. It’s just that we had those early looks in the offense, shots that, we’re going to take those shots. We’ve just got to do a better job of rebounding. Pace is important. We know people are going to try to slow us down if they can. We’re going to have to work to play at that pace and use our depth like we really like to.”

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES RETURNING

“That’s obviously the most he’s been out there playing. We kept his reps down to a minimum. It’s more based on mileage in practice. I thought, again, he did what I would expect from him, come out and get in the flow of the game. It being the first time out there, he did some good things. I thought really his cardio was probably a little bit better than I thought it would be. We had a set number on how much we were going to play him tonight. He took it there and we got him out. But I thought Jo did a really nice job.”

IF PACE LED TO EARLY TURNOVERS

“I don’t think so. I will show them every time we turned it over it is because we didn’t do what we have practiced. Uros (Plavsic) had a chance to kick if out. He didn’t. He put it on the floor early. Then after that turnover he came back and their first couple points, he fouled a 3-point shooter, left his feet. He gave up five quick points early. I just didn’t think he was totally locked in the way he needed to be. We knew coming into tonight we would end up playing more of a small lineup because of the fact they could put four or five guards out there. We practice with the fast pace. I could say we could move the ball around, throw it inside, maybe get fouled more and get to the free-throw line more, but if we are open, we are going to take our shots. I think the worst thing is when we get them hesitant. For the most part, I don’t think they were hesitant. The fact is we ended up in the second half shooting it well. That is more in line with what we do. There will be nights we will have great looks at it and it doesn’t go in. That is when we have to be more aggressive and better on the offensive glass.”

TYREKE KEY SCORING A TEAM-HIGH 17 POINTS

“Well, I think the other two games we played were really games, too. More fans here tonight. What can I say about our fan base? Tom (Satkowiak) said we had almost 18,000 people here tonight. There aren’t many teams in the country that can say that. Students were awesome with their turnout. You wonder when they start popping popcorn and the lights come on how guys will respond. I am not surprised. His demeanor pretty much never changes. Other than the first half against Michigan State where he didn’t attempt a shot, every half since then he has been everything we thought he could be. He can even do more. His versatility and the things that he does give us a really terrific weapon. Defensively, I thought he worked hard, too.”

TYREKE KEY AT POINT GUARD

“We have worked multiple guys bringing the ball down the floor and executing our offense. The key is getting it down there quick is what we want to do. We want to put pressure on people early in the possession. I think we did a great job getting our post guys involved early. Some of that had to do with Tennessee Tech doing a great job of getting back and getting deep in there and not giving us early post-up and those type of things. Tyreke, he can do a lot of different things. I think he and Julian (Phillips), the more they get settled in, the better we are going to see them become.”

THE OFFENSE TAKING SO MANY 3-POINTERS

“We have a system but we are going to adjust it to what we think players are good at. We can shoot the ball. Plain and simple, we can shoot it. We stat every shot we take in practice. We stat every shot we take during vitamins. There was one time this year that Zakai (Zeigler) made 49 straight threes from behind what we call our 4-point line. We shoot it. We work hard at it. Players are the reason. They are the reason we are playing the way we are playing right now. Just watching them play, it is up to us to give them confidence. At one time, I could tell you every timeout tonight, I said it to them. Keep taking your shots. If you are open, shoot the ball. It goes back to we believe in what we do in practice. If it open, we expect them to shoot it.”

JAHMAI MASHACK PROGRESSING

“I think he is better than what he has played up to this point. He is arguably probably our most improved player from the returning players. He understands our system. Tonight, he played the four even when Julian was out there some. We had him matched up because we think he can guard anyone. We really believe our perimeter guys on switches can guard inside. We really do believe that. We have to get our post guys doing a better job on the perimeter when we get into those switching-type situations that we are going to get into some just because of what people do. The only thing again, I think he and Santi and Tyreke and Zakai had turnovers tonight that they should not have had. Every one of them really was a poor decision to be quite frank, trying to do things because when a game gets going like that and they are sagged back in there and we keep telling them to play with the post guys because we want the post guys to be involved. There are certain times where if you can’t get it there you’ve got to move on. We didn’t do that a few times.”

THE MENTALITY OF JULIAN PHILLIPS

“Well I can tell you, we love Julian. We love him for all the things that he has done from the time he’s walked on campus. He’s bought into the program. He’s a guy that cares a lot about his teammates. He cares a lot about his own personal game. If you knew how hard he’s worked— above and beyond what we ask him to do. I think he pressed a little bit early which I think he has up to this point to which I’m not surprised. He’s a freshman. Whereas I think you see the difference in he and Tyreke being a fifth year player. There is a difference but that just shows you there’s a really high ceiling for Julian and he’s going to get there. I thought he really tried to work hard in the second half getting on the glass. I think like most young players when he missed some shots— and he can shoot the ball— there’s no question he can shoot it. The airball he shot from midrange, he wasn’t ready. He shouldn’t have taken that shot cause he was surprised. That would go back to our lack of organization on that possession but he picked up (took) two charges. He made a great effort in the second half going to use his length getting on the glass. That’s what’s exciting. There’s so much more he can add to his game. The better he also gets at running the lanes hard is going to help him. Again, his ceiling is way up there and he’s really just getting started.”

THE DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE

“We fouled too much. We did a good job in terms of holding them to what we want from a point per possession total but didn’t do the job on the defensive boards that we needed to do. Again, fouled too much. I haven’t seen the deflection chart yet but I know we got our hands on a number of different balls and poked some loose but I haven’t seen that number yet. Overall, what they scored 43 points and we were playing hard. That’s the first step in wanting to be a good defensive team. There’s a lot of things we’ve got to clean up but we have to get max effort. We have to get our cardio where we need it from everybody where there’s not a big drop off when the pace gets going— we would like to get the pace going for two, two-and-a-half or three minutes. Sometimes it could even end up being four, who knows. Our cardio has to continue to get better so there’s just no drop off on the defensive end and certainly at the pace we’d like to play with on the offensive end that we can play at that pace but execute at that pace.”

DJ JEFFERSON GOING THROUGH A REDSHIRT SEASON

“Well we just felt, one, we’re really excited that he’s here with us. He’s got a load of talent and he missed some early season practice which set him back. It’s happened every year. When a freshman misses that early season practice, and I think he was out for a couple weeks with an ankle, and it really set him back especially with the older group of guys. And you never redshirt a guy unless you know he’s going to be a factor in your program. There’s no doubt he has a chance to be a real factor. I think it’s going to affect him tremendously because everyone we’ve ever done that with it has paid off if they do their part and there’s no question in my mind that I think he will. Certainly we hope he will. We’re excited that he’s here. Just from what he missed early we felt like it was going to be really hard for him to catch up … We are going to redshirt.”