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Rick Barnes insists he was ‘baffled’ in first half vs. North Carolina: ‘I didn’t recognize my team’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Rick Barnes’ Word of the Day Wednesday was “baffled.”
The Tennessee basketball coach saw his team fall 100-92 to North Carolina in a game the Vols trailed by as much as 26. In truth, Tennessee played an excellent final 20 minutes after what Barnes describes as the worst half one of his Tennessee teams has ever played.
The Vols cut the lead to 6 at one point, but just didn’t have enough gas in the tank to get over the hump.
Tennessee was uncharacteristic on Wednesday, struggling on defense rather than on offense. Tennessee actually finished with a better mark from the field, shooting 55% compared to North Carolina’s 45%. However, North Carolina entered halftime up 61-39.
Here’s what Barnes had to say about his team’s play in the first 20 minutes:
#Vols coach Rick Barnes: To be honest, I was baffled in the first half of that game. Just totally baffled. I told the guys we would still have a chance if we just started doing what we needed to do.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 30, 2023
He continued, saying he didn’t even recognize his own team to start:
#Vols coach Rick Barnes: I don’t want to take a single thing away from North Carolina. I love Hubert. But I didn’t recognize my team in the first half.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) November 30, 2023
Despite a rough first half, there is some good to take from Wednesday’s game. Dalton Knecht, who was injured in the final 3 minutes, had an excellent individual performance by scoring 37 points with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. His 37 points ties the record for the most an opponent has ever scored at the Dean Dome.
Knecht’s apparent ankle/high ankle injury appears to be minor, though he did miss the remainder of action after exiting. Expect official word from Tennessee regarding his status in the coming days.
They sit at 4-3 on the season and have about a week off until facing George Mason in Knoxville on Tuesday.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
