KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Indiana basketball players Trey Galloway, Jakai Newton and Bryson Tucker will sit out Saturday’s charity exhibition against Tennessee at the Food City Center.
The No. 18 Hoosiers travelled to Knoxville on Sunday to face off against the defending regular season SEC champs. Galloway, Newton and Tucker all made the trip, but weren’t dressed out for the game.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson told reporters on Friday that Galloway and Newton were both questionable. The team has been patient with the guards as they work their way back from knee injuries.
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“We kind of have been slow walking them back cause it is a long season,” Woodson said. “They have not fully recovered, they might tell you guys that. That’s the whole reason we are being very cautious in terms of how we’re approaching their practices because they aren’t fully ready yet.”
While they both participated in a recent scrimmage, Woodson was reluctant about throwing them into a true game. They didn’t participate in any of the basketball-related activities at Hoosier Hysteria either.
“It’s kind of hard to just throw them right in the game, let’s go play 25-30 minutes,” Woodson said.
Tucker, who was the team’s lone freshman signee in the 2024 signing class, has earned high praise from Woodson throughout the offseason. At Hoosier Hysteria, Woodson said Tucker didn’t play like a freshman and that he loves everything about him.
The 6-7, 207-pounder small forward was a four-star signee out of Bishop O’Connell High School in Virginia. He’s likely to provide depth this season in the front court behind Mackenzie Mgbako and Luke Goode.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
