TENNESSEE VOLS BASKETBALL: Rick Barnes found the recipe; he may be missing an ingredient

Rick Barnes has concerns of his own.

Tennessee basketball enters its 12th season under the veteran head coach, fresh off a third straight Elite Eight appearance — needing to get over the hump more desperately than any program in the country. 

The Vols have become synonymous with coming up short. The odds of making it one weekend away three consecutive years is slim. The odds of losing all three times are even slimmer. At some point, something has to change.

And Barnes’ offseason roster construction suggests that he understands the handicap of his previous squads: multiple bucket-getters. Barnes’ run began with Dalton Knecht. It parlayed into Chaz Lanier. He finally paired Ja’Kobi Gillespie with Nate Ament. 

Two wasn’t enough. 

So Barnes went out and found five double-digit scorers from other schools — four averaging 15 points or greater a season ago. That luxury won't translate perfectly into Barnes' system, but it's an abnormal amount of offensive firepower for him. He’s only had two seasons with two 15-plus point-per-game scorers. He’s had five seasons without even one. 

The addition of scorers gives Tennessee the profile of a national title contender. Every champion since 2002 has had a Top 25 Kenpom adjusted offense and a Top 40 Kenpom adjusted defense, with exception to 2014 UConn. 

In the last three years, with Knecht (28th), Lanier (17th) and Ament and Gillespie (31st), the Vols have been on the cusp of getting its offense to match the defensive standard Barnes has for his teams. 

And in 2026-27, it won’t be the offense holding the Vols back. It could be the frontcourt. 

Tennessee’s portal attack has naturally made the team guard dominant. Barnes failed to properly address his unit that lost Felix Okpara, Cade Phillips and JP Estrella in one offseason. He’s come to realize that with 6-foot-10 Jalen Washington’s eligibility in limbo. 

“It is a concern,” Barnes said about his frontcourt depth. “I mean, it changes some things with us (if Washington remains ineligible).

Washington transferred to Tennessee after his senior year at Vanderbilt. He appealed for a fifth year of eligibility in a Tennessee court. Currently, he's among 200-some athletes who weren't granted that fifth year. However, about 150 are eligible. Washington is hoping to work the legal system to his benefit. 

Okpara anchored Tennessee’s defense for the last two seasons. He became the biggest pick-and-pop lob threat to Gillespie last season. Barnes attacked the portal with hopes that Miles Rubin (6-10, 224 pounds) — 13 pounds lighter than Okpara — would replace him. Barnes also added Braeden Lue, an all-conference defender at Kennesaw State who stands at 6-8. 

Christian Fermin, who played in four games at VCU a season ago, was a later add because of his 6-10 frame. And with a spot still open and Washington receiving temporary eligibility, Barnes made a late splash to add the former Vanderbilt big man because he realized his unit was lacking.

The dependency on Washington’s eligibility will be the shortcoming of Tennessee’s 2026-27 season. 

Without the length in the frontcourt, Tennessee won’t be able to be as physical as it wants to be. Without the length in the frontcourt, Tennessee won’t be as good at rebounding as it wants to be. Without the length in the frontcourt, Barnes won’t have his bread and butter to compete in a league where dominating a game on the glass almost guarantees a win. 

At this point, Barnes recognizes this year’s identity will lean on what his guards are able to do. 

“Yeah, we like to score quick, but we don’t want you to,” Barnes said. “And we’ve got to rebound the ball more consistently. Last year, I think we led the nation in both offensive and defensive rebounding. This team’s nowhere near that right now. And those are areas that we’ve got to continue to grow in.”

He’ll get a trial run of whether the correction was overcorrection when the Vols host Xavier for a preseason exhibition Oct. 15 at Food City Center.