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.

IU basketball guards Trey Galloway and Jakai Newton still recovering

Woodson isn’t sure if Trey Galloway and Jakai Newton will suit up Sunday against Tennessee. The two returners didn’t participate in Hoosier Hysteria, but did get some playing time in the team’s most recent scrimmage.

“Their minutes were limited and I thought both played well,” Woodson said. “We kind of have been slow walking them back cause it is a long season. 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.”

Woodson estimated they played about 15-18 minutes in the scrimmage.

“That was promising I think, moving forward,” Woodson said. “… We are in communication with both these guys in terms of how they are feeling each and every day and they are not going every day. That’s the thing.

“It’s kind of hard to just throw them right in the game, let’s go play 25-30 minutes. We’ll see in the next couple days and gauge it from there.”

Galloway spent the offseason recovering from a knee injury he suffered leading up to IU’s regular season-finale against Michigan State. Newton is also working his way back from a knee injury that goes back to his time at Newton High School two years ago.

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IU basketball vs. Tennessee how to watch

• When: Sunday, Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. ET

• Where: Food City Center (21,678), Knoxville, Tennessee

• TV: SEC Network +

• Series: Indiana leads 4-0

• Last meeting: Indiana def. Tennessee 74-67 on March 27, 1985, in New York

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.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mike Woodson gets first look at new-look IU basketball roster vs Tennessee