Tennessee basketball announced a preseason exhibition game against Indiana on Tuesday morning. The Vols will host the Hoosiers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Sunday, Oct. 27. Tennessee football is off the day before and Vol basketball opens up their season nine days later against Gardner Webb.
The game will be open to the public but the game time and broadcast details are unset. All proceeds from the game will go to the John McClendon Foundation which provides opportunities and scholarship for minority students pursuing a post graduate degree in sports.
“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 Woodson and I look forward to sharing a sideline with him for the first time,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said in a statement. “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.”
The NCAA just recently changed a rule that allows colleges to play two preseason scrimmages instead of one as long as the proceeds for one of them go to a charity. Last season, Tennessee played Michigan State in an exhibition game in East Lansing, earning an 89-88 victory.
Tennessee didn’t announce a home-and-home exhibition with the Hoosiers but it is possible that the Vols will travel to Bloomington to play ahead of the 2025-26 season. Indiana is 4-0 all time against Tennessee on the hardwood with the last matchup coming in the 1985 NIT.
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While it is only an exhibition, the matchup against Indiana provides Tennessee a preseason litmus test. The Vols officially announced their non conference schedule last week and it includes matchups on the road at Louisville and Illinois, at home versus Syracuse and neutral site games against Miami and two of Virginia, St. John’s and Baylor.
Indiana is looking to get back on track this season after going 19-14 (10-10 Big 10) and missing the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament in each of Mike Woodson’s first two seasons, losing in the Round of 32 in 2023 and in the first round in 2022.
Woodson and the Hoosiers had an impressive offseason, landing highly touted Arizona transfer Omarr Ballo and Stanford guard Kanaan Carlyle.
Optimism is high for Tennessee basketball entering Rick Barnes’ 10th season as head coach. The Vols lost a number of key players from last season’s SEC Championship team but return key players Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack and Jordan Gainey.
Tennessee also added transfers Chaz Lanier (North Florida), Igor Milicic (Charlotte), Felix Okpara (Ohio State) and Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra) to its roster this offseason and expect JP Estrella and Cam Carr to take second year jumps.
