Some people can't handle any criticism of Barnes, at all, but he deserves criticism for this year and for other less than spectacular years at UT. He hasn't been as consistent as Pearl was, and when you compare their records, he was slightly better than Martin. Barnes has been to the NCAA tournament 2 more times than Martin while he was at UT, but Barnes has been here 3 more seasons. Obviously, Barnes took us to higher places than Martin did, so I'm not saying Martin did as well as Barnes has.
Some on the board treat Barnes is the best thing that ever happened to UT and is untouchable, but that is not the case, not when it comes to winning. Some will point to what a great man Barnes is and what great men Barnes has had on the team, but I am talking about wins and losses.
I appreciate Barnes and what he has done for our program, the players he has had, and the way he has done things while he is here. I don't won't him to be fired. I just want him to make better in-game adjustments and fill out the roster better. The guy makes 5 million dollars a year. We don't have to bury or heads in the sand and act like he has been perfect. Some people act like we shouldn't expect really good play at Tennessee, because we are not a "blue blood", but we have proven we can win at a high level and have everything we need to compete with the best of them.
I don't expect to suddenly be Duke under Coach K, but we can be a dang good SEC basketball program. If you look at Barnes' results, he had two really good years sandwiched between two bad years and two decent years.
Some on the board treat Barnes is the best thing that ever happened to UT and is untouchable, but that is not the case, not when it comes to winning. Some will point to what a great man Barnes is and what great men Barnes has had on the team, but I am talking about wins and losses.
I appreciate Barnes and what he has done for our program, the players he has had, and the way he has done things while he is here. I don't won't him to be fired. I just want him to make better in-game adjustments and fill out the roster better. The guy makes 5 million dollars a year. We don't have to bury or heads in the sand and act like he has been perfect. Some people act like we shouldn't expect really good play at Tennessee, because we are not a "blue blood", but we have proven we can win at a high level and have everything we need to compete with the best of them.
I don't expect to suddenly be Duke under Coach K, but we can be a dang good SEC basketball program. If you look at Barnes' results, he had two really good years sandwiched between two bad years and two decent years.
| From | To | Seasons | Games | Wins | Losses | Percentage | SEC Regular Season | SEC Tournament | NCAA Tournament Appearances | NCAA Results | Wins and losses in order | |
| Bruce Pearl | 2006 | 2011 | 6 | 206 | 145 | 61 | 0.704 | 3 | 0 | 6 | Lost second round twice, Lost Regional Semifinals twice, Lost first round, Lost second round | 22-8, 24-11, 31-5, 21-13, 28-9, 19-15 |
| Cuonzo Martin | 2012 | 2014 | 3 | 104 | 63 | 41 | 0.606 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Lost regional semifinal | 19-15, 20-13, 24-13 |
| Rick Barnes | 2016 | 2021 | 6 | 196 | 123 | 73 | 0.628 | 1 | 0 | 3 | Lost first round, Lost second round, Lost regional semifinal | 15-19, 16-16, 26-9, 31-6, 17 -14, 18-9 |
