Indiana
Tennessee vs. Indiana: Game information, lineups, notes
It won’t count, there will be a bit of a clearer picture of what Tennessee men’s basketball could be in 2024-25 on Sunday.
For the second-straight year, the preseason No. 12 Vols will play in a high-profile charity exhibition against Indiana at Food City Center, one week before officially opening their season.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Tennessee lost a number of key pieces from its SEC title and NCAA Tournament Elite Eight run last season, including prolific scorer Dalton Knecht and veterans Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James.
The Vols return standouts guards Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack, not the unquestioned leaders of the team while Jordan Gainey, Cam Carr, JP Estrella, Cade Phillips are expected to take on bigger roles after contributing a year ago.
The exhibition, which will benefit the John McLendon Foundation, will also serve as a first look at some Tennessee newcomers.
After the record-shattering season that Knecht had, Rick Barnes dipped into the transfer portal to pull another proven scorer in Chaz Lanier, who averaged more than 19 points per game at North Florida last season.
Tennessee replaced two bigs in Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka, who both transferred out of the program during the offseason, with 6-foot-11 forward Felix Okpara (Ohio State) and 6-10 Igor Milicic Jr. (Charlotte). Both players averaged 6.4 and 8.5 rebounds last season, respectively.
“It’s a little bit of everything in terms of consistency,” Barnes said. “What we talk about, you’re trying to execute the fundamentals of the game whether its passing, fighting for your space on the floor, rebounding both ways. Defensively, early gaps, getting there, doing your job, doing your work early. Certainly don’t want us to be the best we’re going to be right now but just knowing each day that you’ve got to continue to build in the areas you’ve got to get better in.”
It won’t be the first time that Tennessee has played a Big Ten team in an exhibition game. This time last season, the Vols beat then-preseason No. 4 Michigan State in East Lansing in a game that was headlined by two transfers in Knecht and Gainey.
The Spartans went on to reach the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Indiana, which is entering its fifth season under head coach Mike Woodson, missed out on the postseason in 2023-24, finishing 19-14 overall and 10-10 in league play. The Hoosiers return 6-9 forward Mackenzie Mgbako, Big Ten co-Freshman of the Year selection after averaging 12.7 points and 4.1 rebounds and guard Malik Reneau, the team’s returning leading scorer with 15.4 points per game.
Like Tennessee, Indiana will likely lean on a few new transfer additions, guard Myles Rice (Washington State) and 7-0 center Oumar Ballo (Arizona) among them.
Who: Indiana at No. 12 Tennessee
When: Sunday, Oct. 27 | 3 p.m. ET
Where: Food City Center | Knoxville
TV: SEC Network+ (Roger Hoover, play-by-play; Steve Hamer, analyst; Sarah Detwiler, reporter)
2023-24 season: Tennessee, 27-9 (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight) Indiana, 19-14 (did not make postseason)
Series: Indiana leads, 4-0
— The status of two players, including one starter is uncertain for Tennessee ahead of the exhibition. Rick Barnes said earlier this week that starting guard Jahmai Mashack and forward JP Estrella banged knees in practice and will be monitored. Barnes expected both players to play limited roles in practice on Friday.
— Tennessee and Indiana have played just four previous times, all at neutral sites with three games taking place in the postseason between 1967 and 1985. The Vols are 34-44 vs. Big Ten team all time and a commanding 87-18 in exhibition games.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Rick Barnes talks Indiana exhibition expectations
— Tennessee is playing a Division I team in an exhibition game for the third-straight year. The Vols previously beat preseason No. 2 Gonzaga at a neutral site in Texas in 2022 and No. 4 Michigan State in East Lansing last season, contributing to their 25 exhibition game win streak.
— Tennessee is slated to return just one starter from its SEC title and Elite Eight run in 2023-24 in senior guard Zakai Zeigler, who averaged 11.8 points and 6.1 assists. The Vols’ four transfers, though combined for 3,356 points in 372 total games in their college careers.
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
IU has a game-changer, Thursday’s practice open to the media showed. IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman explains what he saw.
BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
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KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
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