COMMENTARY: Can Barnes convince his team to buy into defense?
· Yahoo Sports
A funny thing happened to Rick Barnes on his way to the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season.
He forgot to pack his defense.
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Actually, he chose not to purchase any defense while assembling his roster.
Since the opening of the transfer portal to mid-October, the moves Barnes made to load the Tennessee roster with scoring potential were heralded as the best in the country.
Even experts conceded that this could be the team that could get Barnes and the Volunteers over the huge wall that three consecutive Elite Eight finishes have built.
Sure, the eight guys that Barnes added combined to average 15.3 points a game. Even some quick sports writer math can factor that out to 120 points a game. Score that many and the Vols will be invincible.
Everyone just took the defense thing for granted.
Then, they played Xavier in an exhibition. Rim protector Miles Rubin was in foul trouble before the hot dogs at the concession stand got cold. Fellow big man Jalen Washington was still in legal limbo over his court case appealing for eligibility and those hotshots who were supposed to light up the scoreboard missed 22 of their 26 3-point attempts.
That’s OK, the defense would make up for an off-night.
Except it didn’t. Tennessee lost, 86-70.
Don’t worry, the Vols had about a week to get the defense ironed out before taking on Duke in another exhibition.
Still, too many wrinkles. This time, the Vols improved their 3-point shooting to 22% (4 of 18), including 1 of 9 (11%) in the second half of a 103-64 embarrassment.
Granted, that’s one of the best teams in the country, but still…
Tennessee is supposed to be one of the elite: No. 8, according to a recent poll. Fortunately for the Vols, the votes were likely cast before the world was exposed to this collection of lolligaggers who have offended the spirit of Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler the two times they’ve stepped on the court.
Teaching the fundamentals of defense is possible in a relatively short time. Barnes is a big fan of guys fighting through screens rather than constantly shifting.
The fundamentals, though, likely aren’t the concern. A stifling defense is more than just X’s and O’s. There’s a buy-in factor that can make up for any mistake that’s made in the scheme. Aggression and intensity are the components of a defense that can suffocate an opponent.
It’s been a long time since Barnes has gone into battle without that weapon. It’s something he can pack for the road that will make up for any shooting irregularities.
With Wofford on deck Wednesday, stats, now, are for real. The live bullets will be flying.
Are the Vols more equipped to play a complete game than they were in mid-October.
Are they really the No. 8 team in the country? Or, just an imposter.
It won’t take long to find out.