The new look 2024-25 Indiana Hoosiers take the floor for the first time Sunday afternoon against Tennessee at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.
The charity exhibition will tip at 3 p.m. ET on SECN+. Details on how to watch the game are available here.
The Vols are ranked No. 12 in the preseason Associated Press top 25 poll and are No. 13 in KenPom’s preseason ratings. Last season, Tennessee won the SEC regular season title and advanced to the Elite Eight.
While the game doesn’t count, it will be played with the intensity of a regular season game and should be an early measuring stick for an IU team with significant expectations.
Here’s what to watch for in Sunday’s exhibition:
The debut of IU’s revamped backcourt
Indiana’s transfer portal haul included the addition of Washington State’s Myles Rice and Stanford’s Kanaan Carlyle.
The Hoosiers were underwhelming in the backcourt last season, but they hope guard play will be a strength in Mike Woodson’s fourth season.
Sunday will be our first extended look at Rice and Carlyle. It will come against one of the nation’s best backcourts. The Vols return SEC defensive player of the year Zakai Zeigler. The 5-foot-9 guard also led the SEC in assists the last two seasons.
Tennessee also added North Florida transfer Chaz Lanier, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 19.7 points and shot 44 percent on 3s last season. Lanier also made 3.4 3s per game and is expected to be one of the top incoming transfers in the SEC.
Rice and Carlyle have already proven themselves at the highest level of college basketball. Still, we’ll learn more on Sunday about how they navigate a challenging road situation against two relentless competitors: Zeigler and Lanier.
How will Indiana handle Tennessee’s defense?
The Vols have built one of the nation’s best defenses under Rick Barnes.
According to KenPom, Tennessee has finished in the top five nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency over the last five seasons.
The players on the roster change, but Tennessee’s defense stays elite season after season. Tennessee lost four starters from last season, but has restocked from the portal with the expectation of competing for an SEC title. The Vols are deep, athletic and play with an intensity few teams can match.
Every college basketball team is a work in progress this time of year….