Tennessee HC Rick Barnes Hits Major Milestone After Win Over N.C. State

Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes is now officially the 14th winningest college basketball coach after the Vols’ win over NC State on Saturday night in San Antonio.

Tennessee’s victory over NC State gives Rick Barnes his 787th all-time career win, placing him squarely at No. 14 in the all-time list.

Barnes tied longtime coach Lefty Driesell at 786 wins after Tennessee’s victory over Georgia Southern but now owns the sole possession of No. 14 on the rankings with 787.

Rick Barnes Wins by School:

• George Mason (1987-1988) – 20 wins
• Providence (1988-1994) – 108 wins
• Clemson (1994-1998) – 74 wins
• Texas (1998-2015) – 402 wins
• Tennessee (2015-present) – 183 wins

Overall, in 37 years of coaching at major programs around the country, Rick Barnes has an overall record of 787-409 for a 65.8 winning percentage.

Now in sole possession of 14th place, Barnes is 10 wins behind active Kansas coach Bill Self who is currently in 13th place all time. Former Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State head coach Eddie Sutton is in 12th place and sits at 806 career-wins.

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Needing 19 wins to tie Sutton, Barnes is unlikely to move any higher up the all -time sins list this season though he could move up more next year. Journeyman head coach and current Coastal Carolina head coach Cliff Ellis ranks 11th all-time with 833 wins while Kentucky coach John Calipari ranks 10th with 839 career wins.

North Carolina State was Tennessee’s final non conference test of the season as the Vols’ outlasted the Wolfpack 79-70 in the neutral site bout. Zakai Zeigler and Josiah-Jordan James turned in their best performances of the season, combining for 43 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.

The Vols now conclude non conference play with matchups against Tarleton State (Dec. 21) and Norfolk State (Jan. 2) before opening up SEC play at home against Ole Miss on Jan. 6.

Assuming Tennessee takes care of its two buy games, they’ll enter conference play 10-3 with its losses coming against No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Purdue on a neutral floor and on the road at No. 9 North Carolina.