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Rick Barnes delivers perfect locker room message after Tennessee Vols' win against the Kentucky Wildcats

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Zach Ragan | Last updated Mar 29, 2025 1:08 PM ET

Tennessee Vols head coach Rick Barnes delivered the perfect locker room message to his team on Friday night after a win against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Sweet 16.

Barnes and the Vols are heading to their second straight Elite Eight, which is an incredible accomplishment for any program, but the job for Tennessee is far from finished.

As Barnes told his team on Friday night, there's "more to do" in the NCAA Tournament.

"Great job, but you know what we came to do," said Barnes to his team in a video from Tennessee's official social media accounts. "You know what we came to do. Again, great effort. Great intensity. But [we] got one more. Got one more."

"Now we got one day to get ready to do it again," continued Barnes. "As we keep going, what do we keep talking about all the time? It's toughness. Toughness in every area. Emotional, every area. We gotta settle down early, but again, we got more to do. Alright, we got more to do."

more to do pic.twitter.com/2VJHjJ27Vj
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) March 29, 2025

It's clear that Tennessee is on a mission. The Vols were more than thrilled to earn some revenge against Kentucky (after going 0-2 against the Wildcats during the regular season) and advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament, but the Sweet 16 wasn't Tennessee's Super Bowl. The Vols' players and coaches understand that this was just another step toward their ultimately goal of reaching the Final Four and earning the opportunity to compete for a national championship in San Antonio.

There's more to do. And that's what everyone in Tennessee's locker room is focused on ahead of a huge Elite Eight showdown with the Houston Cougars on Sunday afternoon.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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