Tennessee basketball: Rick Barnes magic

The Tennessee basketball team shocked the basketball world Saturday, beating Georgia to win the SEC regular season basketball title.

The Volunteer Nation needed a lift, as it’s been a little rough on Rocky Top lately.

First, Tennessee baseball failed to make the 2017 SEC tournament. Then the Volunteers fired their football coach after the 2017 season. The once vaunted Tennessee womens basketball team then finished the 2018 regular season in an unsatisfying four-way tie for fourth place in the SEC.

Finally, the proud mens Tennessee basketball program saw it’s 2017-2018 edition picked to finish next to last in the SEC.

The Volunteer cagers said nuts to that and claimed the SEC championship with their 66 – 61 victory over the Dawgs.

https://twitter.com/FiscalMgmt2/status/970109352001536001

“Not bad for a team picked to finish 13th this year,” said Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes.

Tennessee junior Admiral Schofield held his tongue for five months, but said his piece after defeating Georgia.

"“Grant and I knew when we were going to SEC Media Day (in October) that those guys had no clue on how much work we put in during the offseason,. We had to sit there and listen to it and it was very hard.”"

How the heck did this Tennessee basketball team do it?  Rick Barnes did it, and he is the SEC Coach of the Year. If he’s not voted so, there ought to be an FBI investigation.