Vols' Rick Barnes shows with simple gesture how he had his players' backs after scuffle with Kentucky
The Tennessee Volunteers came to play on Saturday night, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 103-92 in Rupp Arena. Although the Vols led from wire to wire – 39 minutes and 48 seconds, to be precise – Kentucky still managed to keep it relatively close throughout the first half and part of the second. That is, until […]
The Tennessee Volunteers came to play on Saturday night, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 103-92 in Rupp Arena.
Although the Vols led from wire to wire – 39 minutes and 48 seconds, to be precise – Kentucky still managed to keep it relatively close throughout the first half and part of the second. That is, until the Wildcats went and did something stupid.
With 12:45 left in the game and the Vols leading 63-53, Tobe Awaka grabbed a rebound and tangled with a pair of Wildcats for control. A foul was whistled on Kentucky's Aaron Bradshaw, but after the whistle, Awaka and Rob Dillingham wrestled for control of the ball, chirping at each other briefly. Bradshaw then proceeded to shove Awaka in the back, which caused players and officials to rush in and separate them.
The officials went to the monitor to review for additional fouls/punishment beyond the Bradshaw personal foul. While they did that, Rick Barnes came onto the floor where Awaka and a few other Vols were huddled and gave Awaka a high five.
It might not be much, but it shows that Barnes appreciated Awaka standing up for himself. The players appreciated it, too, especially Zakai Zeigler, who noted he has been trying to get Awaka fired up like that for a while.
Needless to say, the incident worked, even though Awaka and Jordan Gainey got technical fouls, as did Bradshaw and Dillingham. The Vols responded with fervor, going on a 13-7 run to push their lead to 76-60 and keep the Wildcats largely at bay the rest of the way.
Tennessee's win Saturday night proved a lot of things. It showed the team could bounce back quickly after a dismal showing earlier in the week against South Carolina. It showed they could rely on more than Dalton Knecht to win big games, as Josiah-Jordan James and Zeigler each had 26 points.
And it proved that when the time comes to get tough and show they won't be intimidated, their head coach has their backs.
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