Tennessee basketball’s Rick Barnes admits he’s still hungry after Elite Eight run

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Tennessee basketball had their NCAA tournament run come to an end after a rough loss against Michigan in the Elite Eight. Of course, Tennessee had hopes of making a deep run, and when you get to this point of the tournament and fall short, you still have that itch.

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That’s currently how head coach Rick Barnes feels, and it seems like it could be something that stays on his mind over the next few days.

“Obviously, when you get to this point and don’t move on, it’s extremely disappointing, especially when you know you didn’t play your best,” Barnes said via ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “There’s no doubt we want more. We want to break through this thing.”

Unfortunately, Tennessee ran into a Michigan team that is playing some of their best basketball at the right time. They were able to stay in the game early in the first half, but as time went on, Michigan started to pull away, and it was obvious that they weren’t looking back.

Tennessee will now be looking toward next season in hopes of making it back to the tournament and getting past the Elite Eight. Many are also wondering if Barnes will be returning as head coach, and he let it be known that he’s committed to the program.

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“Rick Barnes was asked if he’s ‘100% committed’ to returning as Tennessee’s head coach next season. Rick: ‘I am,’” Grant Ramey of On3 wrote on X.

That’s good news for Tennessee, because if Barnes still has that itch, he’s going to do whatever he can to get his team back to the tournament.

Related: UCLA Bruins’ Lauren Betts achieves feat not seen since Brittney Griner in Elite Eight win

Related: Perfect 27-0 Duke Blue Devils trend ends in painful loss to UConn

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Publish date : 2026-03-29 22:28:00

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