Episode 86: Exclusive Rick Barnes midseason interview

GoVols247's Wes Rucker and Grant Ramey sat down for an exclusive interview with Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes in this episode. Barnes and his 21st-ranked Vols have made plenty of headlines this season, and the veteran coach thinks his team could be in for a big finish ... assuming it stays on course and continues improving. Barnes, as usual, was candid in this sit-down interview. Topics include the rebuilding of the Tennessee program, the reasons why the SEC finally turned a corner and become a good basketball league again, the under-the-radar recruitment of Vols sophomore star Grant Williams, a recent text message Barnes received from former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, the strengths and weaknesses of this Tennessee team, keeping a young team focused on the here-and-now rather than the future, Barnes recently coaching his 1,000th career game and much, much more.