KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Rick Barnes did not shy away from mentioning the plethora of turnovers Tennessee had in their 84-64 loss to Auburn in the SEC championship game.
"That's what cost us winning yesterday. You cannot turn the ball over six, seven straight times without getting a shot," he said.
The Vols finished the game with 17 turnovers, leading to 21 points for Auburn. Grant Williams had four of those turnovers.
"I thought Grant Williams was very tired," Barnes said. "I looked at our coaches six minutes into the game and said we're going to have some trouble."
Auburn knocked down an SEC championship record 15 threes and held at least a 10-point lead after the first media timeout in the second half.
But now it is time to move forward. The Vols are a no. 2 seed in the south region of the NCAA tournament. They take on the Colgate Raiders in the first round on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
"You look at them, they're a skilled team, high-percentage shooting," Barnes said. "They have great size across the front. They're as big as we are, or bigger. And well coached."
The Raiders are members of the Patriot league conference and won the conference tournament on Sunday.
Barnes, who has led teams to the NCAA tournament 23 times, knows what it takes to have success in postseason play.
"The first one, you have to have talent. I think the fact that you stay focused. You understand what got you there and you don't get away from it," he said.
The Vols' game against Colgate will air on CBS at 2:45 p.m. EST. The winner faces either Cincinnati or Iowa.