Rick Barnes previews Tennessee-Appalachian State

On how important these next two weeks are for the guys getting some confidence behind Yves Pons and John Fulkerson:
“These guys want playing time. They want to play, and every day in practice the get a chance to do that. The games are important, but the bottom line is they aren’t going to get in the game if they don’t get it done in practice. I’ve told them that over and over. If they want a chance to have more rope, they have to go in a game and do what we see them do in practice. The word is consistency. We want consistency. One of the last things I tell them every day, every game, is we do what we practice. Simply do what we practice, and we’re going to be okay. If guys don’t practice well, they’re probably not going to get a chance to play as much as they would like to play. Over these next couple of games, I’d like to get guys minutes, but again those minutes aren’t going to be given out. They’re going to be earned. If a guy goes into a game and right off the bat, he makes a mistake that we see him make over and over again in practice, he won’t get much of a chance, because he hasn’t earned it. We don’t want anybody to think they have a sense of entitlement. Our team works hard. They play hard. I think they like direct, honest answers. They want to know where they stand, and the way I’m talking to you is the way I’m going to talk to them. If they want those minutes, they’re going to have to earn them.”