Indiana’s anticipated return to the ground will come on Sunday towards Tennessee in a charity exhibition in Knoxville at Thompson-Boling Enviornment.
This season’s roster seems a lot totally different than it did a yr in the past, because the Hoosiers welcome seven new faces.
Sunday’s exhibition shall be Indiana’s first time stepping on the ground in a aggressive atmosphere with its revamped roster. This may permit Indiana to find out its standing towards a high quality opponent.
“We’ve form of revamped our workforce, and so they revamped their workforce,” Mike Woodson mentioned Friday morning. “That they had some guys that they misplaced as effectively however introduced guys in. And so it gave each groups a possibility, at this early stage, to form of gage a bit bit on the place their workforce is.”
An early take a look at towards a high quality opponent
This preseason matchup is not going to have an effect on both workforce’s win or loss report, however it’s the first time since final season that both workforce will play towards somebody aside from themselves.
That is excellent news for each Woodson and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, as their groups can have a possibility to see how they fare towards an opponent ranked within the Related Press preseason high 25 ballot.
The Volunteers have been 5 spots forward of the Hoosiers within the preseason ballot. They’re coming off a robust 2023-24 season, ending with a 27-9 report as SEC regular-season champions. Final spring, the Vols reached the Elite Eight.
“I’m simply anxious to see how we fare towards somebody totally different,” Woodson defined. “Tennessee is just not a pushover workforce. Their workforce goes to be ranked. They’re well-coached. And I simply, I’m anxious to see how we play offensively. I’m anxious to see how we defend. So, all these issues play a task in constructing a basketball workforce and seeing the place you could enhance and proceed to develop as a basketball workforce.”
Like IU, Tennessee additionally added a couple of new faces to its roster. Though it misplaced 4 of its 5 starters from this previous season, it reloaded within the switch portal. Chaz Lanier, a senior guard from North Florida, almost averaged 20 factors per sport final season.
Tennessee additionally added some dimension to its lineup, with Igor Milicic (Charlotte) and Felix Okpara (Ohio State) as additions from the switch portal.
The standing of Trey Galloway and Jakai Newton is unsure for Sunday
When Woodson was requested if Galloway and Newton would play within the Tennesee exhibition, his reply was easy and direct.
“Don’t know,” the fourth-year IU coach mentioned.
There’s nonetheless no clear timetable for the return of both Indiana guard, however progress is being made, in line with Woodson. He talked about Friday that each gamers noticed a while on the ground in Indiana’s most up-to-date inter-squad scrimmage. In accordance with Woodson, they performed round 15-18 minutes, and he favored what he noticed from each of them.
“We now have been slow-walking them again as a result of it’s a lengthy season, and so they haven’t absolutely recovered,” Woodson mentioned. “, they could inform you guys that, however you realize that that’s the entire cause why we’re being very cautious by way of how we’re approaching their practices and never making an attempt to kill them by way of the minutes as a result of they’re simply not absolutely prepared but. However I assumed within the scrimmage the opposite day, each performed effectively for the minutes they performed.”
Neither participant has been practising each day however is taking steps in the proper route.
Galloway and Newton have hinted at their return up to now few months, speaking with the media at Indiana and Huge Ten media day. Woodson will take a while to talk to each his gamers and the Indiana medical employees to gauge their standing for Sunday.
“It’s form of laborious to throw them proper within the sport and say, you realize, let’s go play 25-Half-hour,” Woodson mentioned.“So, I don’t know. We’ll see the subsequent couple of days and interact it from there.”
The debut of the Kanaan Carlyle, Myles Rice backcourt
This sport will give a small style of what’s to return for Indiana’s new offensive identification, which is thrilling for Woodson and the remainder of the workforce.
Carlyle and Rice will play important roles in Indiana’s success this yr, and for the primary time, they are going to be functioning collectively in the identical backcourt with the Indiana script on their jersey.
Each gamers have been instrumental pickups this offseason within the switch portal. Indiana, underneath Woodson, has had a heavy post-style offense. That might change this yr because the Hoosiers will look to undertake extra of a fast small-ball type of play.
And it begins with the previous Pac-12 guards. Woodson desires to see one factor from each this Sunday: development.
“Taking what we’ve taught them and given them during the last 4 months, since summer season,” Woodson mentioned about what he’s seeking to see on Sunday. “And the way it interprets into an actual sport.”
Win or lose, that shall be Indiana’s essential takeaway from Sunday. Woodson desires to see progress from each participant on the roster.
“That’s not simply these two; it’s everyone who’s new, and the blokes which might be with me. I’m simply anxious to see the place we’re as a result of we’ve given them rather a lot, and so they have been working their asses off. And I simply wish to see if a few of this can repay for us.”
Filed to: Tennessee Volunteers
