Mike Woodson ‘anxious’ to see new-look IU basketball roster in Tennessee exhibition

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson repeatedly said he’s “anxious” to see how his new-look roster performs in Sunday’s charity exhibition against Tennessee.

Woodson spoke via Zoom with reporters Friday to preview the matchup. The teams have jointly agreed to donate all proceeds from the game to support the John McLendon Foundation.

The Vols approached No. 18 Indiana after the NCAA passed a rule change over the summer that allows teams to play two exhibition games against Division I opponents. Woodson jumped at the chance to play such a quality opponent with a roster featuring seven new faces.

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“We ain’t going out there to mess around,” Woodson said. “We want to win and I’m sure they want to win as well, but as coaches we want to evaluate our team and see what we are and what we need to improve on.”

IU basketball ready to face defending SEC champs

No. 12 Tennessee is looking to build on last year’s run to the Elite Eight. The Vols had a 27-9 record and won the SEC regular season title with a 14-4 record, its first outright title since 2008. Their season ended with a 72-66 loss to Purdue.

Rick Barnes had to replace plenty of production as well after losing four starters, including Dalton Knecht, the team’s star guard who was drafted No. 17 overall after averaging 21.7 points and 2.6 made 3-pointers per game.

Tennessee does bring back last year’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year Zakai Zeigler. The 5-9 guard averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game last year.

“Tennessee isn’t a pushover team,” Woodson said.

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Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-10-26 18:06:00

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