Watch: Rick Barnes addresses Vols in locker room after Tennessee clinches SEC title
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tennessee basketball isn’t done. The fourth-ranked Vols have more work to do after clinching the SEC regular-season championship with a 66-59 win over No. 17 South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena.
That was the message from Rick Barnes in the locker room after the game.
“Hey, I’m glad we did this, but here’s what you got to understand: I want to play on Monday,” Barnes said, referencing the NCAA Tournament championship game played on a Monday night in early April.
“That’s what we talked about, right? Now, you know how hard it is to do what we’re talking about, what we want to do. It’s a big deal.”
a few words from 3x SEC champion Rick Barnes pic.twitter.com/wdusGTiGzk
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 7, 2024
Tennessee (24-6, 14-3 SEC) clinched the program’s first outright regular-season title since 2007-08 by winning three straight games against ranked opponents, with the last two coming on the road.
The Vols beat No. 11 Auburn 92-84 at Thompson-Boling Arena last week, then went to No. 14 Alabama and won 81-74 at Coleman Coliseum on Saturday night. South Carolina beat Tennessee 63-59 in Knoxville on January 30 and was second in the SEC standings, a game back of the Vols, entering Wednesday night’s game.
“Proud of you guys, man,” Barnes said. “They’re a good basketball team. It was a slug fest. And hey, again our defense got it done. I’m telling you, our defense got it done. Great job, man. SEC champions.”
Tennessee’s defense held South Carolina to 24 points in the first half, helping the Vols build an 11-point lead at the break. The lead grew to as much as 14 points in the second half.
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Dalton Knecht led the way with 26 points, hitting five 3-pointers along the way. Jonas Aidoo had 14 points and nine rebounds and Zakai Zeigler finished with 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Up Next: No. 4 Tennessee at No. 15 Kentucky, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS
It’s the third SEC championship for Barnes at Tennessee. The Vols shared the SEC regular-season title in 2017-18 with Auburn, with both teams finishing with 13-5 league records. Tennessee won the 2022 SEC Tournament in Tampa, the program’s first since 1979.
“Obviously I’m extremely proud,” Barnes said during his postgame press conference, “but I’m so blessed. The good Lord has blessed me with a group of guys that I think anybody in the country would want to coach.”
Before finishing his address to the team in the locker room after the game, Barnes threw in a joke at the expense of himself and assistant coach Gregg Polinksy.
“You know what, I was thinking when I was walking back (to the locker room),” Barnes said, “these guys probably don’t realize how hard it is to win championships. And also I started thinking 25 years from now when you guys get back and will always be celebrated, I just hope GP are with you. Great job, man. Great job.”
