What Tennessee Vols coach Rick Barnes said about playing the Texas Longhorns Saturday
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes was thrilled about his team's performance in an 83-49 win over Saint Peter's in a first-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday.
But that excitement doesn't extend to Saturday's second-round matchup against Texas. Barnes served as the Longhorns' head coach from 1998-2015, and he remains good friends with many on the Texas staff. Current Texas head coach Rodney Terry worked as an assistant coach for Barnes, as did current Texas assistant Frank Haith and Texas basketball's general manager, Chris Ogden.
Saturday's Texas-Tennessee game in Charlotte will be at 7 p.m.
More: Texas basketball pounds Colorado State in March Madness, advances in NCAA Tournament
Rick Barnes: 'They'll be friends until the day I die'
"It is tough when you are playing against guys that have helped (and) been a part of my career for a long time," Barnes said after Tennessee's win Saturday. "Rodney, Coach Haith, Chris Ogden, so many guys there helped us while I was there and were a big part of our success there. I've got dear friends that they'll be friends until the day I die. The time I had there was special because, really, there's a lot of people there that touched my life.
"It's always tough when you (play each other), because we all are close. We stay in touch with each other. We talk throughout the year. Those guys probably know me as well as anybody, and they know how I think. I think, if you ask both of us, would we rather be playing someone else, the answer would be yes.
Barnes left his stamp on the Texas program
During his time at Texas, Barnes became Texas' all-time leader in wins and compiled an overall record of 582-402. He led the Longhorns to 16 NCAA Tournament berths as well as the program's only Final Four berth in the modern era of the tournament.
This won’t be the first time that Barnes has coached against Texas, but it will be the first time he’s met his former team in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee and Texas met in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023, with Tennessee winning at home in 2023 82-71 and losing in Austin in 2022 52-51.
Barnes, on Rodney Terry: 'He's going to dot the I's, cross the T's'
Barnes said he's particularly proud of Terry, a Texas native from Angleton who paid his coaching dues in the state's high-school ranks before beginning his collegiate career.
"You talk about a guy that's living his dream, his dream job was always to be the head coach at the University of Texas," Barnes said. "(Terry) came in and worked extremely hard, a very detailed person. He's going to dot the I's, cross the T's, and he's intense. He's a guy that's going to talk a lot about his teams being tough, hard-nosed."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tennessee coach Rick Barnes talks about playing Texas in March Madness
