Tennessee Vols head coach Rick Barnes gives major respect to UT fans
The Tennessee Vols' 2021-22 season came to a disappointing end this weekend as UT lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. For Vols head coach Rick Barnes, it's the ninth time in his last 10 NCAA Tournament appearances that he has failed to advance past the opening weekend. While […]
The Tennessee Vols' 2021-22 season came to a disappointing end this weekend as UT lost to the Michigan Wolverines in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
For Vols head coach Rick Barnes, it's the ninth time in his last 10 NCAA Tournament appearances that he has failed to advance past the opening weekend.
While getting bounced from the tournament was undoubtedly tough for Barnes, he still found a way to point out some positives after the loss.
Among those positives for Barnes was the Vols fans that traveled to Indianapolis to watch Tennessee play this weekend.
"I would say what I learned seven years ago when I came to Knoxville and early in the season playing in a non-league game, playing an in-state team [on] Christmas Eve and they had to move the game because of some Bowl," said Barnes on Saturday. "Something to do with the SEC football at that time, and we had 16,000 people in the stands, and since that time I realized what I didn't know growing up two and a half, three hours from Knoxville, the love that Tennessee people have for our great state and for our university."
"It's special," added Barnes. "I talk about it, I don't care what fan base is out there, there is none better than what we have, I don't care. I think this university deserves a chance to continue to have success and let people see exactly what makes it special. It's been a blessing for me, quite honestly."
There's no doubt that Barnes has a deep appreciation for Vol fans. Letting the fans down is one reason why Barnes and Tennessee's players took the loss to Michigan so hard.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
