A lot can change in a week.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes had made up his mind before the Vols' win over Illinois three days ago that he was going to shorten his bench because his didn't like the preparation from the freshmen.
Because of a lackluster second half that followed a dominant first, Barnes didn't get to go too deep into the bench against Georgia Southern on Tuesday, but a number of freshmen picked up on his messaging in the days leading into the game and it led to increased minutes in Tennessee's 74-56 victory at Food City Center.
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"I thought they prepared mentally," Barnes said. "I I thought that they weren’t very good leading up to the Illinois game. And we talked about it and I told them, I said, ‘I told you guys going in, some of you guys I’d already made up my mind before game, you weren’t going to play strictly based on your preparation and you better understand, you better learn that lesson right now. So what you do over the next day and a half, two days to get ready for this game or decide whether we’re going to play you tonight.' And I thought, for the most part, those guys really tried to do that. They locked in. And it’s not just in practice.
"It’s in the film room. It’s everything that we talked about, whatever it may be. We want to see them execute at a high level and, again, tonight I said they probably did better than the older guys.”
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee uses Jonas Aidoo's performance to beat Georgia Southern
Lesson learned.
On night where Tennessee's veteran-laden starting five allowed a dominant first half lead turn into a closer-than-expected final 20 minutes, it was the freshmen that made the most of their playing time.
Four of those freshmen saw the floor, combining for 34 minutes. Forward Cade Phillps played the most at 12 minutes and redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione V contributed the most points with five. Forward J.P. Estrella scored four, including a dunk during the Vols' 49-point first half.
Cameron Carr was impactful on the defensive end in the 10 minutes that he played, totaling two blocks and three rebounds.
“Proud of (Carr and Dilione). We knew that we got Cam a quick run because he came out and he was (in a) minute and a half," Barnes said. "He said, ‘coach, I think I got to get my second wind.’ But I thought Freddie was good. Freddie did the things tonight we wanted to see. He competed, thought he was locked in. I thought his mindset was terrific. I think it shifted from thinking he’s got to make something happen on the offensive end to making it get going on the defensive end.
"And, again, it goes back, we had too many breakdowns with the older guys more so than the younger guys tonight.”
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Vols coach Rick Barnes reacts to win over Georgia Southern
Tennessee's roster boasts plenty of experience and once SEC play starts in the coming weeks, there may be only limited opportunities for the freshmen.
Carr is learning quickly about Barnes' expectations. So is the rest of the group. That bodes well for the Vols going forward.
"I think honestly we're taking large steps forward," Carr said. "Me, Cade, J.P. Freddie. We're all making really good progression. I'm learning that if you want to get on the court, it starts two days before the game starts."
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