Rick Barnes is college basketball’s consummate nice guy. But when it comes to MarchMadness, his track record is so ghastly it should come with a “Not Safe For Work” warning, DanWolken writes.
Never forget, he couldn’t get past the second round with Kevin Durant. His final seven teams at Texas, all of them filled with highly ranked players, never tasted the Sweet 16. And at Tennessee, he’s now lost twice as a No. 3 seed to an 11 in the second round and was blown out last season in the first round as a No. 5 seed against No. 12 seed Oregon State.
Barnes’ defenders will shrug and ask why it’s his fault that Tennessee made just 2-of-18 threes or that guard Santiago Vescovi couldn’t get going. But when it became a possession-for-possession game, Michigan was the team running good sets and understanding what it wanted to get out of its offense, while Tennessee was slow to recognize Michigan switching between man and zone and just not getting very good shots down the stretch.
But this isn’t a surprise. Barnes has been to the NCAA Tournament 26 times. It’s no disgrace to lose in the tournament; nearly everyone does every year. But only once — in 2006, as a No. 6 seed in the second round — has Barnes beaten a higher-seeded team. In nine of his last 10 tournament appearances, Barnes’ season has been ended by a lower seed pulling an upset.
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