Tennessee’s Rick Barnes details what he expects against Kentucky on Saturday after the last game got chippy at the end
The Tennessee Vols and the Kentucky Wildcats will face off on Saturday in Lexington.
The Tennessee Vols and the Kentucky Wildcats will face off on Saturday night in Lexington.
Kentucky erased a 17 point deficit in an 80-78 win over the Vols last month.
Things got chippy between the two teams as soon as the game went final.
Tennessee’s Rick Barnes details if he’s expecting a chippy game against Kentucky on Saturday
Barnes met with reporters on Friday and was asked what kind of game he’s expecting after the chippy end to the last matchup against the Wildcats.
“I don’t expect anything,” said Barnes. “I have great respect for Kentucky. And that happens in games. Anytime you’re in a competitive situation, some of that can happen. I don’t think there’s anything there. I’m not gonna blow it (out of proportion), because I don’t think it is anything. Everybody wants to talk about revenge game. It’s the next game. I don’t care — I’ve never believed in that.
“I don’t care who you’re getting ready to play, whether it’s Kentucky, whether it be Arkansas, whether, whoever you want to throw up there, it’s the next game. Whatever you got to do to get yourself ready to play. And I think it always goes back to your preparation with your game plan — just get locked in on that. But I’ve also been around long enough to know that guys are competitive. I mean, Kentucky’s competitive, my guys are competitive. And things might pop up, but it’s not a big deal.”
There’s no doubt that Tennessee vs Kentucky is an intense rivalry — one of the best rivalries in the SEC. But these coaches have a lot of respect for each other. They understand the grind that each other goes through. And like Barnes said, sometimes games just get a little chippy — ultimately, it just means that guys are competing.
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