Published Nov 17, 2024
Everything Rick Barnes said after No. 11 Tennessee's win over Austin Peay
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Noah Taylor  •  VolReport
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Tennessee has yet to show a glaring weakness.

The No. 11 Vols rolled to their fourth-straight victory on Sunday, routing Austin Peay, 103-68 at Food City Center to improve to 4-0 for the fifth time in seven years with another early-season test looming.

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Transfer forward Igor Milicic Jr. was the headliner for Tennessee for the second-straight game, following up his double-double outing against Montana last week with 23 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field and nine rebounds against the Governors (3-1).

Zakai Zeigler finished behind Milicic with 19 points and eight assists to move him into fifth place all-time at Tennessee in career assists with 503 over four seasons.

The game served as the Vols' final tuneup before they face Virginia in the Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas on Thursday and then either No. 12 Baylor or No. 22 St John's on Friday.

Here is everything Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said about the Vols' win over Austin Peay, Milicic's performance, their upcoming slate and more.

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On if getting the ball in the paint was a point of emphasis

"Playing (Austin Peay), we knew they were going to be very aggressive on the perimeter and we din't want to play through the net. We kept talking about how it's so important to take care of the basketball because we knew they change defenses a lot, which was good for us. I think our team came in with the upmost respect for them for the fact they've already won at Butler. We watched them on tape and how hard they play. They really are a relentless with their hands, really making plays going after the ball. I do appreciate the fact that our guys knew that it was going to be a game where they were going to have to be really strong with the ball.

"Obviously, with the court spread like that, whether we were going to throw it in there, drive it in there, we knew we had to go inside anyway we could get it there. Thought we were very disciplined in the first half, not trying to force threes that weren't there, really doing a good job o attacking the open areas."

On sophomore forward J.P. Estrella's status after being ruled out with an injury on Sunday

"He's day-to-day and it's the same foot he's dealt with (since the summer). Again, he's day-to-day right now and until we can figure out a plan--a different plan, obviously--but it's day-to-day."

On if the team improved in not turning the ball over

"I thought in the first half, the way (Austin Peay), again, comes different ways, they try to go in with an element of surprise, or aggressiveness, whatever you want to call it. First half, I think we had nine (turnovers) and our post players had four of those. Really, because of spacing. We wanted them to get the ball-screen, we wanted to get them to jump us hard and we were rolling too far out of it and allowing them to attack guys that we were rolling into them. Again, we talked about it and we were better in the second half with that. I thought Igor (Milicic) had a really good floor game, helped us a lot. Again, (Zakai Zeigler) was terrific, playing the way we needed to play.

"I thought he did a really good job just selling guys down, again, knowing how they were going to play. Overall, there was a lot of really good things against a team that's really hard to play against."

On if Estrella's injury is concerning and how Cade Phillips and Igor Milicic Jr. played the five position

"It is concerning because we know he wants to play. He's done everything that he can do. And I think the plan we had for him to start was the right plan. Day-to-day evaluating that to figure out, now where do we go? We need Cade (Phillips). I thought for the most part, other than when Cade gets in a little bit, gets a little bit too relaxed and turns the ball over. The fact is, he has ability and can do a lot of things. The more he can play right there, the better he is going to be. I though (Jahmai Mashack) today, we moved him in there a little bit to play basically four guards, which gives us that versatility to do that. There's times they had five guards on the court. But Cade, we've got a lot of belief in him."

On if Igor Milicic Jr. is playing more relaxed 

"I think he is more relaxed and I think that's the right word. I think he's rewired his brain in the fact that he doesn't have to do something everytime he gets it. He sees the game in a great way. He's getting better, understanding what we need defensively. I thought Chaz (Lanier), even though he didn't score a lot, defensively, was really locked in on that end. But Igor, he's versatile. He can do a lot of things. He likes to pass the ball. He's so different than he was a couple of weeks ago because he was just so ancy trying to make something happen everytime. More and more, he's letting the game come to him."

On how Zakai Zeigler, Igor Milicic's success will translate to Baha Mar Championship later this week

"Every game will take on its own identity, and Virginia is obviously a well-coached team. I mean, every time is. We have so much respect for the people we play against and we know how we want to play, but the other team does, too. And we want to try and take away what they want to do well and they want to do the same thing to us. That's where it gets down to where guys have to play. Like today, we didn't run much offense today. I thought we played offense today. We weren't trying to run a lot of plays. Do we want to spread the floor out, open it up? Virginia, I don't think it will be that kind of game. So, every game will take on a different look. So what we've done up to this point, we hope it all translates. We hope. We've got to get better, obviously. But you learn something from each game, and I think we learned something about ourselves from this game."

On how Zakai Zeigler's vision, decision making has developed over the last four seasons

"He's impacted this program. It's phenomenal what that guy has done. For a guy that wasn't recruited, but believes so much in himself and really has kept working at the game and doing what he does. But I think right now, for him, he's learning how to play with a new team. We've got new guys around him. He's learning how to play with Igor. He's learning how to play with Chaz. He's learning how to play with Felix (Okpara). I mean, he's learning how to do that and we need him to continue--and he will. What he does--and I think you all know what he does on the defensive end--but he has improved in all of the different areas on the offensive end and it seems like every year has been a different team with him, but he's found a way go adjust and get better with it."

On Jahmai Mashack's versatility

"It's like at Louisville, he didn't make a lot of buckets. I know he did a terrific job driving the ball today, getting to the free throw line. But you've got a guy, like tonight, you go back to the final (box score), I think he was averaging--you look at his line. He was 7-for-18, 1-for-6, but he worked for them. He did. And I think he would say that, too. Jahmai is a guy, that one, he understands defense, every facet of how you need to play it. Like any team, when you're playing against a guy that has a green light that can go with it anytime he wants and he can create whatever he needs to create. Those guys are hard to guard. All you can do is really try to play your position and hope they can make really difficult shots and over time, take a lot of shots and get to a number.

"But again, (Mashack) played every position again tonight and he really impacts the game, not with just what he's doing but his communication with his teammates, talking about what's going on out there and focus on what they need to be doing."

On how Felix Okpara played on both ends of the floor

"We're asking Felix to do a lot offensively, more, probably than in the past. He’s finding out that that closes down real quick when teams want you to score. Like, he’s fighting for his position. Hard, low, going now. He’s getting where he’s getting that. He’s gonna have to get it up to the rim quicker. Chin to rim. He’s going to have to do that. But he’s getting more and more, I think, familiar with playing with these guys and knowing where he needs to get on the floor to be effective.”

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