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As new college sports landscape takes shape, here’s why commitment flips are more common
Rick Barnes previews Tennessee basketball’s preseason practices
Tennessee basketball began preseason practices Tuesday at the start of coach Rick Barnes’ 10th season.
Tennessee men’s basketball tips off the regular season in less than a month against Gardner-Webb at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
However, before the Vols take on the Runnin’ Bulldogs on Nov. 4, Rick Barnes’ squad has a charity exhibition scheduled against Indiana for Sunday, Oct. 27 in Knoxville.
The exhibition now appears to have a time and TV network associated with it; the Vols and Hoosiers will square off at 3 p.m. ET, with SEC Network+ handling the broadcast duties. The information was made available on Tennessee’s schedule website.
REQUIRED READING: Bru McCoy, Squirrel White, Dont’e Thornton injury update for Tennessee vs Florida
“We are thrilled to host one of the best programs in the nation and support a worthy cause at the same time. I have a great deal of respect for Coach (Mike) Woodson and I look forward to sharing a sideline with him for the first time,” Barnes said in a statement in August when the exhibition was announced.
“Indiana’s first visit to Knoxville provides an excellent test for our guys before the season officially begins. Most of all, though, it is a great way to raise money for an impactful organization whose mission I fully support.”
Per NCAA rules, proceeds from the game will go to charity, specifically the John McLendon Foundation, which offers scholarships for minority students who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration.
Tennessee trails the all-time series with Indiana 0-4, with the most recent meeting in 1985 in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Vols are coming off a 27-9 overall season under Barnes, making the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. Meanwhile, Indiana is coming off a slightly underwhelming 19-14 season and missing out on the NCAA Tournament.
The Hoosiers, led by former Arizona forward Oumar Ballo, the No. 2-ranked transfer this past season, per 247Sports Composite, were projected to finish second in the Big Ten in a preseason poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star.
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The Dallas-area’s most up-and-down recruiting saga from the Class of 2026 has its latest twist.
North Forney four-star athlete Legend Bey has requested his letter of release from Tennessee, according to reporting from Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman.
“They are waiting for Tennessee to confirm this,” Spiegelman said of the request Sunday on The Inside Scoop podcast. “This could come as early as today, tomorrow. This is in the works.”
Bey signed with Tennessee on early national signing day, flipping from his November 10 commitment to Ohio State on early national signing day. He had originally committed to the Volunteers in June. However, reports emerged soon after his signing that Bey wanted to sign with the Buckeyes but landed at Tennessee because of pressure from his family.
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The possibility that Bey might seek a release was first reported Dec. 4, with reports suggesting that Tennessee would grant the request given the tumultuous recruiting process.
If the release is granted, Bey may have to wait to turn 18 years old before he can sign for Ohio State without parental approval.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville (9-1, 0-0 ACC) is set to face Tennessee (7-3, 0-0 SEC) on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST at Thompson-Boling Arena. Here’s how the Cardinals stack up against the Volunteers:
*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
AP/USAT |
20th/20th |
11th/11th |
|
SOS |
38th |
89th |
|
SOR |
47th |
13th |
|
NET |
36th |
11th |
|
RPI |
50th |
41st |
|
BPI |
18th |
6th |
|
KenPom |
18th |
10th |
|
Torvik |
18th |
10th |
|
EvanMiya |
20th |
12th |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Points |
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (17.3) |
Ryan Conwell (19.4) |
|
Rebounds |
Nate Ament (7.1) |
Sananda Fru (6.2) |
|
Assists |
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (5.4) |
Mikel Brown Jr. (5.1) |
|
Steals |
Bishop Boswell (1.9) |
Kobe Rodgers (1.3) |
|
Blocks |
Felix Okpara (1.7) |
Sananda Fru (1.2) |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Points Per Game |
80.9 |
94.3 |
|
Field Goal % |
46.8 |
47.9 |
|
FGM/FGA Per Game |
28.9/61.7 |
30.4/63.5 |
|
Three Point % |
34.6 |
37.5 |
|
3PTM/3PTA |
7.4/21.4 |
13.2/35.2 |
|
Free Throw % |
72.7 |
77.8 |
|
FTM/FTA Per Game |
15.7/21.6 |
20.3/26.1 |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Rebounds Per Game |
43.3 |
42.6 |
|
Off. Reb. Per Game |
15.6 |
12.7 |
|
Def. Reb. Per Game |
27.7 |
29.9 |
|
Rebound Margin |
12.9 |
8.0 |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Opp. Points Per Game |
66.0 |
68.1 |
|
Opp. FG% |
38.5 |
37.8 |
|
Opp. 3PT% |
29.7 |
29.6 |
|
Steals Per Game |
7.5 |
8.1 |
|
Blocks Per Game |
3.7 |
3.8 |
|
Turnovers Forced Per Game |
12.4 |
13.9 |
|
Tennessee |
Louisville |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Assists Per Game |
18.8 |
19.7 |
|
Turnovers Per Game |
13.2 |
10.9 |
|
Turnover Margin |
0.8 |
3.0 |
|
Assist/Turnover Ratio |
1.42 |
1.81 |
– ESPN Prediction: Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Cardinals have a 57.8 percent chance to win against the Volunteers. Louisville has a BPI rating of 22.0 (6th overall), whereas Tennessee has a BPI rating of 16.9 (18th overall).
– KenPom Prediction: Per KenPom.com, the Cardinals have a 49 percent chance to take down the Volunteers, with a projected final score of 80-79 in favor of UT. Louisville has an adjusted efficiency margin of +27.72 (10th overall), whereas Tennessee has an adjusted efficiency margin of +23.10 (18th overall).
– Torvik Prediction: Per BartTorvik.com, the Cards have a 43 percent chance to take down the Vols, with a projected final score of 80-78 in favor of UT. Louisville has a “Barthag” of .9451 (10th overall), whereas Tennessee has a “Barthag” of .9253 (18th overall).
– Personal Prediction: Louisville 83, Tennessee 82.
(Photo of Kasean Pryor: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)
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On this week’s episode of The RTI Low Down, Bob Baskerville and Chris Low are diving into a huge week for the Tennessee Football program.
The guys start the show by discussing the Vols’ big move to fire Tim Banks and the splash hire in acquiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Bob and Chris are then joined by VFL and SEC Legend Kevin Burnett to talk about his time on Rocky Top, his thoughts on playing under defensive coordinators, Josh Heupel’s current team, and more.
The guys close down the show by breaking down Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, Vol Hoops’ tough test on the hardwood this week, and much more. Download and subscribe TODAY!
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The RTI Low-Down is brought to you by the Tate Insurance Group. Find out more information at www.tateinsurancegroup.com
– – –
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YouTube –
0:00 Intro
8:30 Tennessee Fires Tim Banks, Hires Jim Knowles
21:25 VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Vol Football!
43:20 UT 2026 Schedule
50:17 Tennessee Basketball Faces Huge Test on Tuesday
1:01:06 Close
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