Tennessee basketball was slow getting out of the gates to start the 2026-27 season.
In their first exhibition game, the Vols suffered an ugly 86-70 loss to Xavier at Food City Center on Oct. 15. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes was disappointed with the poor defense and rebounding. Luckily for the Vols, this loss doesn't count.
"I'd rather get exposed now than in a week, two weeks," Barnes said. "Because we did not respond to the adversity at all."
Here are three takeaways from the Vols' loss to Xavier.
What’s to blame for Tennessee’s poor second half defense?
Xavier averaged 1.5 points per possession in the second half while shooting 70.4% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point range. As the Musketeers hit open shot after open shot in the second half, Tennessee didn't execute adjustments well enough.
“They started helping (on shooters) so the wide open big man was open in the middle,” Xavier point guard Tru Washington, who finished with 12 assists, said. “I was just hitting him.”
Xavier’s strong shooting was made possible by repeated missed assignments from Tennessee players. The Musketeers had already played a scrimmage against Dayton and coach Richard Pitino said that was one reason why his team looked better than the Vols whose 13 new players were in their first game together.
But Barnes thought it was a lack of effort, not chemistry or communication, that led to the defensive lapses.
“How many times did we switch out just to put a guard in the post?” Barnes said postgame. “I thought some guys let their offense dictate their effort on the defensive side. But we just did some uncharacteristic things that we’ve talked about for too long. I don’t care if these guys have ever played together or what.”
Why Tennessee couldn’t match Xavier’s scoring runs
More than three quarters of this game was played with the score inside of single digits. Neither team could string together enough stops and scores to put the other away, until the final nine minutes.
But Xavier outscored Tennessee 28-11 from the nine-minute mark of the second half to the final buzzer. During that run, the Vols couldn’t find any way to stop the bleeding.
“I think we just kind of relaxed when we went up," Tennessee junior guard Terrence Hill Jr. said. "Felt like we had the game won, came out with a lackluster type of mentality. … They went on a run and built on it.”
Barnes was glad that the Vols were tested in a close game, but he thought they came up short in multiple ways. He called out his team for a lack of mental toughness down the stretch and hopes it can serve as a wake up call.
“Bad habits. Guys just switching to switch because it’s too hard to fight through and do the things we talk about. Even on offense, too much one-on-one stuff with guys coming off just looking to shoot the ball," Barnes said. "Look at numbers and some guys had some good numbers but we were a bad basketball team tonight.”
Tennessee navigating limited options at center
The loss highlighted why Tennessee sought Jalen Washington via the transfer portal so late in the summer. The Vols got some quality minutes from DeWayne Brown II but, as a position group, the frontcourt wasn’t good enough.
Tennessee’s three available centers – Brown, Miles Rubin and Christian Fermin – combined for 14 rebounds, six fouls and two blocks in 56 total minutes. Xavier beat the Vols 45-31 in rebounding, 17-7 in second chance points and scored 40 points in the paint.
“We are,” Barnes said when asked if he’s concerned about his team’s lack of size. “But still, there’s different ways to play. I’ve seen five guards guard someone. It’s a mindset.”
While waiting for Washington's eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA to play out, Brown has been the Vols' most effective center but he's only 6-foot-8. Tennessee has a limited frontcourt for the time being and the guards will to help pick up the slack in rebounding, with or without the 6-10 Washington in the fold.
“We’ve just got to get back to Tennessee basketball,” sophomore guard Troy Henderson said. “Physical play and we’ve just got to hit first.”
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Tennessee basketball coach ripped the Vols after ugly exhibition loss vs Xavier