By ETT 
Tennessee Vols head coach Rick Barnes met with the media after his team’s 78-66 victory over the No. 25 Auburn Tigers on Saturday, February 25th. Here’s everything he said:
“I thought our guys did a really good job of staying composed and competing. Auburn is a really good team, and they made some tough shots. But we were able to stay the course and get the win. I’m proud of our guys for their effort and execution.”
“Josiah had a great game. He was all over the place, making plays on both ends of the court. He’s a special player, and we’re lucky to have him. He’s a guy that can do it all for us, and he’s really starting to come into his own.”
“Our defense was outstanding tonight. We held Auburn to 33% shooting from the field, and we forced them into 16 turnovers. We were able to get our hands in the passing lanes, and we made it difficult for them to get into any kind of rhythm. I’m really proud of the way our guys played defensively.”
“We did a great job on the boards tonight. We outrebounded Auburn 41-32, and we had 14 offensive rebounds. That’s a big part of our success. When we can get second-chance opportunities, it makes it that much harder for our opponents to beat us. I thought our guys did a great job of crashing the boards and giving us some extra possessions.”
“Overall, I’m really happy with the way we played tonight. We competed hard, we executed our game plan, and we got the win. This was a big win for us, and it’s a big step forward in our goal of winning the SEC Championship.”
Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols are now 23-6 overall and 13-3 in the SEC. They are tied for first place in the SEC standings with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Vols will be back in action on Tuesday, February 28th when they host the Vanderbilt Commodores at Thompson-Boling Arena.
