Penny Hardaway won’t be inviting Rick Barnes over for Christmas dinner this season.
The Memphis Tigers head coach had issued some strong criticism for Barnes on Tuesday following the Tennessee head coach’s comments regarding the end-of-game fracas between the two schools Saturday.
“I don’t know who Rick Barnes thinks I am but I’m not a dude that’s going to mess around about anything,” Hardaway said, per The Commercial Appeal. “I just call it like I see it. No matter how he’s trying to make things seem, and I think its kind of low class how he’s trying to downgrade my guys for flopping and all that. Man, come on, give me a break.”
Near the end of the Volunteers’ 102-92 win, Tennessee’s Jordan Bone and Memphis’s Alex Lomax were issued technicals and players from both teams had to be separated.
After the game, Hardaway claimed the Vols’ bench emptied to start a fight and that some players had “their fists balled” and it was “like a standoff,” per The Knoxville News Sentinel.
Barnes fired back at Hardaway on a radio show on The Vol Network on Monday by asking play-by-play announcer Bob Kesling, “At any time Saturday did you ball up your fist and get ready to fight the other commentator?” via 247 Sports.
Hardaway had one more message for the Vols head coach before ending his Tuesday presser.
“Rick Barnes, get the f— out of here.”
Enjoy NCAA basketball with college basketball betting at Skybook.ag, one of the best online sportsbooks.
