Rick Barnes expected Tennessee to experience growing pains with a new roster. What he didn’t expect was how poorly the Vols would respond when things went wrong.
Tennessee fell 86-70 to Xavier in Thursday’s exhibition, surrendering 59 second-half points after carrying a 35-27 lead into halftime.
For Barnes, the final score wasn’t nearly as concerning as the habits that produced it.
“We just had no fight at all when they got back in the game, and we weren’t making shots,” Barnes said. “We just didn’t guard it.”
The Vols shot 38.6% from the field and made just four of their 26 three-point attempts. But Barnes wasn’t interested in using poor shooting as an excuse for Tennessee’s defensive struggles.
Instead, he pointed to a team that relied too heavily on individual offense and failed to respond when Xavier seized momentum.
Defensive breakdowns exposed Tennessee
Xavier shot 70.4% from the field in the second half, making 19 of 27 attempts. The Musketeers also connected on eight of 14 three-pointers after halftime.
Barnes attributed much of that success to Tennessee’s defensive communication and unnecessary switching.
“Switching for no reason,” Barnes said. “I mean, how many times are we going to switch out just to put a guard in the post?”
Xavier repeatedly slipped ball screens, exploiting Tennessee’s inability to stay in front of the basketball.
“All we had to do was try to guard the basketball. We didn’t. We didn’t guard the ball.”
Barnes said Tennessee deliberately entered the exhibition without an extensive scouting report to evaluate how players would react and make adjustments.
Rebounding revealed another concern
Tennessee was outrebounded 45-31, including a 24-10 disadvantage in the second half.
Xavier grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and converted its opportunities into 17 second-chance points. Tennessee managed just seven.
“We knew with this team coming in that we’re going to have to rebound,” Barnes said.
DeWayne Brown II led Tennessee with 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards. Jalen Haralson added six.
But several other players struggled to contribute.
Miles Rubin finished with one rebound in 14 minutes. Juke Harris, Dai Dai Ames, and Terrence Hill Jr. each grabbed two.
“He’s got to do more than that,” Barnes said of Rubin’s rebounding.
Barnes also questioned whether Tennessee’s players understood the physical demands required to compete consistently.
“Sometimes you’ve got to figure out what goes into losing before you can figure out what goes into winning.”
Offensive struggles became defensive problems
Hill Jr. led Tennessee with 22 points, while Harris added 15. Haralson finished with 10.
But Tennessee’s shooting struggles became increasingly evident as the game progressed.
The Vols made just one of 12 three-point attempts in the second half. Harris finished 0-for-7 from beyond the arc, while Troy Henderson made one of six.
Barnes was particularly frustrated with the team’s shot selection and tendency to force individual opportunities.
“Even on offense, it’s too much one-on-one stuff,” Barnes said. “Guys just coming off looking to shoot the ball.”
Barnes hopes the loss delivers a message
Perhaps the most telling stretch came after Tennessee built a 10-point first-half advantage.
Xavier erased the deficit within the first five minutes of the second half, surrendered it for a moment, then regained the lead without nine minutes left. Xavier would not surrender the lead again.
The Musketeers outscored the Vols 59-35 after halftime.
Barnes said his team failed to execute instructions coming out of timeouts and repeatedly made mistakes that had already been addressed in practice.
“We’ve talked about it long enough,” Barnes said. “I mean, that’s the disappointing thing.”
With Duke awaiting Tennessee, Barnes wants a different defensive mindset.
“I want to be able to guard somebody. I want to have a different mindset.”
Still, Barnes believes the timing of the loss could prove valuable.
“I’d rather get exposed right now than in a week, two weeks, because we did not respond to the adversity at all.”
For a team still establishing its identity, Barnes hopes the exhibition provided a lesson that months of practice couldn’t.
“We talk about what goes into winning: playing defense, rebounding the basketball, taking care of the ball. Those three things.”
