Rick Barnes' NCAA Tournament history again aired out after Tennessee Sweet 16 loss: Reaction

Nick Gray, Nashville Tennessean
·3 min read
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Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes' teams haven't had the breakout NCAA Tournament run since his 2003 Texas Longhorns went to the Final Four as a 1-seed.

Barnes' Tennessee teams have made five NCAA Tournaments in eight seasons. Those Vols teams have been knocked out five times, all to teams with a lesser seed. And Barnes' teams have never beaten a team with a better seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That includes Thursday's 62-55 loss to 9-seed Florida Atlantic in the Sweet 16 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

For the 4-seed Vols in 2022-23, a Sweet 16 appearance was likely a fair result especially given the late, season-ending injury to Zakai Zeigler.

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That context was shared and understood by some in reaction to Tennessee's loss on Thursday. The Vols led 27-22 at the half, but a 15-2 FAU run midway through the second half tipped the game toward the Owls.

But the Vols lost Thursday to a mid-major team with a worse seed, something that has happened too often in Barnes' tenure.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Rick Barnes scrutinized after Tennessee basketball Sweet 16 loss: Reaction