Rick Barnes would rather not be playing former school Texas with Sweet 16 spot on line

CHARLOTTE, N.C. − Rick Barnes won't see one familiar face when he looks at the Texas bench on Saturday.

The Tennessee men's basketball coach will instead see three and that's the unique March Madness challenge facing the Vols.

"Those guys probably know me as well as anybody and they know how I think," Barnes said Thursday. "I think if you ask both of us would we rather be playing someone else, the answer would be yes."

Barnes knew facing his former program was a possibility before the NCAA men's tournament bracket was announced. He knew it was probable when the bracket was released Sunday. Now, it is reality: Barnes and No. 2 seed Tennessee are playing Texas on Saturday with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line.

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Rick Barnes has history with Rodney Terry, Texas staff

Barnes repeated a familiar line in regards to his time at Texas: He has dear friends in Austin and great relationships from his 17-year stint as the Longhorns coach. He has been gone for almost a decade, and is a Tennessee Volunteer through and through.

"Coming to Tennessee was a blessing," Barnes said. "Maybe I didn't know it at the time. But I couldn't have asked for a better way to be in a position where my career will end."

For this season to continue, it means going through the program he led to 402 wins from 1997-2015. Texas general manager Chris Ogden was part of 97 of those wins as a player from 2000-03. He spent 12 years on Barnes' staff and followed him to Knoxville for the 2015-16 season.

Texas coach Rodney Terry was an assistant on Barnes' staff from 2002-11.

"He's going to dot the I's, cross the T's, and he's intense," Barnes said of Terry. "He's a guy that's going to talk a lot about his teams being tough, hard-nosed."

Texas assistant Frank Haith was a Barnes assistant from 2001-04. He is in his first season back at Texas on Terry's staff.

"It is tough when you are playing against guys that have ... been a part of my career for a long time," Barnes said.

Tennessee, Texas playing for third season in row

Barnes didn't face Texas at Tennessee until the Big 12/SEC Challenge in January 2022. He hadn't wanted the matchup, but relented on his stance for a handful of reasons including family and coaching once more at the Moody Center before Texas built a new arena.

The Vols lost that game 52-51 then got revenge the following season in Knoxville with a 82-71 win.

“They were a tough team," Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack said. "They were always a tough team. They were built on having that toughness mindset. You can look at the different teams. They played a little bit different the past two years we played. Some were fast and some were a little bit slower. But they were always tough.”

That's a staple of Barnes' teams at Texas and now it's a staple of the team led by a handful of his former assistant coaches.

The Longhorns advanced with a 56-44 win against No. 10-seeded Colorado State on Thursday. The Vols followed that game with an 83-49 victory against No. 15 Saint Peter's.

That set the matchup for Barnes against familiar faces in a familiar uniform and that's the obstacle for Tennessee as it chases a third Sweet 16 berth in Barnes' nine seasons in Knoxville.

"We all are close," Barnes said. "We stay in touch with each other. We talk throughout the year."