Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes met with the media on Thursday afternoon in Detroit ahead of the Vols’ upcoming Sweet 16 game against 3-seed Creighton.
Tennessee and Creighton will square off at 10:09 p.m. ET on Friday night in the Motor City.
Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 by defeating 15-seed Saint Peter’s in the first round and 7-seed Texas in the second round. The Vols will play Creighton on Friday with the potential of playing either Purdue or Gonzaga on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four.
Rick Barnes spoke to the media on Friday afternoon about his longtime relationship with Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, Creighton’s size in the paint with Ryan Kalkbrenner, what jumps out to him about the Blue Jays, Santiago Vescovi’s status, and much more.
“Again, he’s a terrific rim protector,” Barnes said about Kalkbrenner, Creighton’s 7-foot-1 center. “I think, when they use him on the offensive end where he facilitates, he sees the floor, great feel for his teammates and what he wants to do. I think he does a really good job of finding his space where he wants to be effective.”
More from RTI: Creighton Basketball Previews Sweet 16 Round Against Tennessee
Check out Rick Barnes’ full Sweet 16 preview press conference from Detroit below:
Tennessee HC Rick Barnes
