No. 18 Tennessee returns to action Saturday against Northern Kentucky in Knoxville, Tenn., and coach Rick Barnes hopes to see his Volunteers play better than they did in Monday's season-opening win.

The Volunteers beat Mercer 76-61, but they were sluggish at the start. Mercer led 8-4 in the first 5 1/2 minutes, but Tennessee rattled off an 8-0 run moments later that put them on top. The lead grew to as many as 23 midway through the second half.

One of the biggest issues for Barnes was his team's 19 turnovers that led to 16 Bears points, but he also found other causes for concern.

"We had too many point-blank shots that ... we weren't even close," Barnes said. "We've got to do that. We need those guys to get fouled to get us to the free-throw line more."

Nate Ament, a highly touted fres

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