Watch: Rick Barnes Previews Showdown With No. 3 Auburn, Gives Update on John Fulkerson

Tennessee Vols basketball head coach Rick Barnes previews Tennessee's showdown with Auburn.

Jack Foster | Feb 25, 2022

Tennessee Vols basketball head coach Rick Barnes met with the media over Zoom on Friday afternoon to preview UT's showdown with No. 3 Auburn on Saturday evening, discussing what challenges the duo of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler present.

Barnes also touched on how all of Tennessee's post players will need to step up to help contain Auburn's size.

"I don't want to put pressure on any one guy. We need all of our post guys," Barnes said regarding the Auburn game. "Uros, Brandon, John Fulkerson, Jonas, and even Josiah. Walker Kessler is having a fabulous year when you think of how many games he affects on the defensive end. All of our [post] guys minutes are critical."

And one of Tennessee's posts, John Fulkerson, played only six minutes against Mizzou Tuesday due to a hip-pointer injury he suffered against Arkansas. When asked about his availability against Auburn, Barnes was optimistic the graduate senior will give it a go despite not practicing.

"We hope so," Barnes commented on Fulkerson's availability. "He hasn't been able to practice much, but we hope we can get him right."

In a marquee matchup like Auburn, having an experienced player coming off the bench undoubtedly adds another positive dimension to Tennessee's game. Without Fulkerson, Barnes and the Vols will have to lean more on the pair of freshmen posts in Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Jonas Aidoo, as well as Uros Plasvic.

If the Vols knock off Auburn, Tennessee will have defeated two top-five opponents in 11 days. Tip-off is slated for 4 ET in Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday.

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Published Feb 25, 2022

JACK FOSTER

Jack is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Journalism/Electronic Media. Jack grew up in Paris, Tennessee, but now spends the majority of his time in Knoxville doubling as a student and sports journalist for Volunteer Country. Jack has been a sports junkie since he was a young kid and always watched NFL football with his dad on Sundays. Jack still follows the NFL religiously, as he is an avid fantasy football player. Jack started with Volunteer Country in May of 2021 and has since helped provide full coverage of football, baseball and men's and women's basketball. Jack also works as a recurring member of WUTK's Rock Solid Sports show on Wednesdays and Fridays, and he also serves as head sports producer of The Volunteer Channel's Vol News, a student-run show at the University. When Jack is not watching or covering sports, find him on the golf course or back home spending time with his parents, younger sister and friends. Follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram by clicking "Twitter" and "Instagram" to see all of his work with Volunteer Country as well as student media.