The Tennessee Volunteers got back in the win column on Tuesday following their 87-82 overtime win against Texas A&M. The Volunteers had dropped their last game against Florida, and have been playing uneven basketball since SEC play began earlier this month. Following the win, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes invoked tennis star Roger Federer when talking about the game, as per Wes Rucker of WBIR Channel 10.
“Roger Federer won 80 percent of the matches he played, but he only won 54 percent of the points he played,” Barnes said. “He knew how to put a point behind you and get the next one, the biggest ones. That’s what you need to do.”
Tennessee certainly put the loss to Florida behind them in their bounce-back win against Texas A&M. With the win, the Volunteers improved to 12-5 overall, and 2-2 in SEC play.
Tennessee had begun the season on a strong note at 7-0, but dropped three consecutive games to Kansas, Syracuse and Illinois. Their next game is against Kentucky on Jan. 17. They were led by star freshman Nate Ament who finished with a game-high 23 points, along with seven rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 43 minutes.
This is also Tennessee’s 11th season with Rick Barnes at the helm as head coach. Last season, the Volunteers finished 30-8 overall, and 12-6 in the SEC. They advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament where they were eliminated by Houston.
Under Barnes, Tennessee has gone 244-114. He’s led them to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in those 11 seasons, including four Sweet 16s, and two Elite Eights.
