It's been an absolutely massive offseason for Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Vols. After coming up one game short of the Final Four last season, the Vols are building a roster that should get the program past the Elite Eight.
Tennessee Vols head coach Rick Barnes has been a man on a mission this offseason.
Barnes made it clear after the Vols' loss to Michigan in the Elite Eight that adding scorers would be a priority this offseason.
"We're going to have to shoot the ball better," said Barnes after the loss to Michigan when asked what it'll take to get over the hump in the tournament. "There's no doubt. We've got to shoot the ball better. We're so inconsistent doing that. We still have to be better finishing around the rim. You've watched us all year and we missed too many of those shots.
"Obviously, our defense got us here. It really did. It's no question. We've had games where we've struggled to score, but you're playing against an outstanding team today that was scoring. But just simply, we all have to get better. We all have to keep working at it. We certainly know what it takes to get here, now we've got to figure out getting through to the next level."
Barnes followed up those comments by adding seven transfers (so far), all of which averaged over 10 points per game last season.
Tennessee and Louisville were described by On3's Pete Nakos this week as two of the most aggressive spenders in the transfer portal.
"As the portal season winds to a close, Tennessee and Louisville have emerged as two of the most aggressive spenders in college basketball this offseason - headlining a market that has reached a staggering new threshold," wrote Nakos.
According to Nakos, the cost for Tennessee's roster is currently hovering at $18 million, and could go higher (the Vols are in the market for one more player ).
An anonymous source told Nakos that Tennessee's aggressiveness is happening because Barnes is an "alpha".
" Every bit of this is because we have an alpha coach," said a source to On3.
It's hard to disagree with that take — especially after Barnes told reporters that Tennessee was seeking "production over retention" this offseason.
Barnes loves his players, and the relationships he creates with them are for life.
But it's very clear this offseason that Barnes is laser focused on winning.
