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 season in less than a month against Gardner-Webb at Food City Center.
However, before the Vols take on the Runnin’ Bulldogs on Nov. 4, Rick Barnes’ squad has a charity exhibition scheduled Indiana for Sunday, Oct. 27 in Knoxville.
The exhibition now appears to have a time and TV network associated with it, as 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.
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“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.”
As 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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