Hoops Central: #12 Tennessee vs. #17/18 Indiana

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 12th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team opens its highly anticipated 2024-25 campaign with a home charity exhibition contest Sunday against No. 17 Indiana at Food City Center. The launch date is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET.

Fans can watch Saturday’s game between the Volunteers and Hoosiers on SECN+. Roger Hoover (play-by-play), Steve Hamer (analyst) and Sarah Detwiler (reporter) will lead the conversation.

Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate as Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describe the action.

This competition is not part of the official season ticket package. NCAA rules require that for a friendly game between two Division I teams, the host school must sell tickets and donate the proceeds to a specific charity. Tennessee and Indiana have jointly agreed to support the John McLendon Foundation.

Fans wishing to purchase tickets can do so HERE. Seats in the 100 and 200 tiers are $30 each, while seats in the 300 tier are $15 plus taxes and fees. The ticket office opens at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, so fans can also purchase on site on match day. However, it is recommended to do this online to avoid queues. All people, regardless of age, must have a ticket and gates open at 1:30 p.m

Tennessee students can still request tickets through the Tennessee Athletics app and entry into the arena will occur upon arrival at Gate A. Additionally, students will have more seats closer to the floor at men’s basketball games this year as seating for the Media has been moved up from section 113, which gives students access to the front seats in section 114. Lower student seating is Section 113 through Row 20, as well as Sections 114, 128, and 129. The upper level sections will remain available even after the lower level is full.

Tennessee Fund donors and new customers who did not receive a pre-assigned parking pass or new customers can purchase a parking spot on game day for just $5 (card only). Parking is available in G10, 30A, Circle Park, Lot 9 and G16. More lots can be added.

Garage space access and availability are subject to change depending on demand and sales on game day.

Tennessee, bolstered by a 13-2 record, is coming off a year in which it won its 11th SEC regular-season title, including its sixth overall title. The Volunteers then fought for their second Elite Eight spot as number 2. UT posted a 27-9 record last season, marking the third such loss in the last six years (2018-24). Rick Barnes it won more than 27 games. This tally had been achieved twice before his arrival.

THE MATCHUP
• The Volunteers and Hoosiers have met four times, all in official games at neutral sites. Three of the affairs took place in the postseason, while all four games took place between 1967 and 1985.
• The previous four meetings between the two teams took place in four different cities: Evanston, Ill. (1967), St. Louis (1974), San Diego (1979) and New York (1985).
• Indiana (0-4), Nebraska (0-3), Northwestern (0-1) and UCLA (0-1) are the only Big Ten teams UT has never beaten. Compared to current Big Ten schools, it’s 34-44 all-time Rick Barnes is 33-34.
• After going 19-14 (10-10) last year, the Hoosiers were ranked second in the Big Ten preseason poll.
• Junior forward Malik Reneau is Indiana’s leading returner in ppg (15.4), rpg (6.0) and fg% (55.8).
• Tennessee is 87-18 in all-time tournament play (preseason, midseason and summer). This register has a 65-11 domestic record, buoyed by a 62-9 record in Knoxville. The Volunteers have a 28-1 record against U.S. college teams, including 2-0 against Division I opponents.

NEWS & NOTES
• Tennessee is coming off a year in which it won its 11th SEC regular-season title, including its sixth overall, thanks to a 13-2 record. The Volunteers then fought for their second Elite Eight spot as number 2.
• The Volunteers ranked fifth in both major 2023-24 national polls. The AP mark achieved its best final ranking ever (2021-22, 2007-08) and the coaches poll broke the program record (seventh place in 2007-08). Tennessee also ranked fifth on KenPom, surpassing last year (sixth place in the 2022–23 season) and earning its best mark ever.
• UT achieved a 27-9 record last year, marking its third such loss in the last six years (2018-24). Rick Barnes it won more than 27 games. This tally had been achieved twice before his arrival.
• Tennessee’s 171 wins over the past seven years (2017-24) rank eighth nationally and represent the highest seven-year total in program history, trailing only Kansas (191), Duke (185), Purdue (182) and Virginia (176) has more schools in a Power Six league this entire time.
• This is the third straight year UT will play a ranked DI team in an exhibition game. On 10/28/22, it beat second-place Gonzaga 99-80 in Frisco, Texas. On 10/29/23 it won 89:88 away from fourth-place Michigan State.
• UT is on a 25-game winning streak dating back to a 73-52 victory over Carson-Newman on 11/3/11. Under Barnes, the Vols are 15-0 in games, including 7-0 in Knoxville.
• The volunteers only bring back one starter, Zakai Zeiglerfrom 2023 to 2024. However, they added four transfers, including two fifth-year guards, a senior forward and a junior forward. These four freshmen combined for 3,356 college points in 372 games. Three of those were all-conference picks in 2023-24.
• During 2023-24 Rick Barnes was the 15th DI coach to record 800 wins, the third to win 200 games at UT and the 24th to win 100 SEC victories. He also received a spot on the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.

TENNESSEE IN THIRD PLACE
• Tennessee was ranked third in the SEC’s preseason poll, voted on by a select panel of league and national media officials.
• Only two Yellowhammer State schools, Alabama and Auburn, finished ahead of Tennessee in the voting.
• This is the third consecutive year the Volunteers have been ranked in the top three of the preseason media poll, the only school to make such a claim. Tennessee held the top spot in 2023-24 and actually won the league title. In 2022–23, UT finished third in voting.
• Tennessee has earned a top-five spot in the preseason media poll for seven consecutive years since the 2018-19 edition.

WAYS TO WIN
• Over the past seven seasons (2017-24), Tennessee has topped all SEC programs in total wins (171) and ranked first in postseason wins (18), while ranking a close second in winning percentage (.722). lies. During that span, UT has won three SEC titles, winning the 2018 and 2024 regular seasons and the 2022 tournament.
• Over the same seven-year period, the Vols are one of only two SEC schools, along with Auburn (.723), with an overall winning percentage above .700.
• In SEC play over the same seven-year period, Tennessee (86-39; .688) ranks second in the league in both wins and winning percentage, behind Kentucky (87-38; .696). Only Auburn (81-45; .643) and Alabama (78-48; .619) even have over 70 wins.
• In the last three seasons alone (2021-24), UT holds an overall record of 79-28 (.7383). That’s good for the most wins and the best win percentage of any SEC team in that span. Auburn finished second at 76-27 (.7379) during that time.
• Over the same three-year period, Tennessee (39-15; .722) is tied with Kentucky for the best record in conference play among SEC teams.

1K CLUB
• Tennessee has three players entering the 2024-25 season with over 1,000 points and another just 71 shy of that mark.
• Darlinstone Dubar Owns 1,359 points in 116 appearances, good for 11.7 ppg in four seasons.
• Jordan Gainey has 1,175 points in 100 contests, an 11.8 ppg average over three years.
• Zakai Zeigler has 1,052 points in 101 appearances, giving him an average of 10.4 ppg in three seasons.
• Chaz Lanier is nearing the 1,000-point mark as he enters the 2024-25 season with 929 points in 104 appearances, averaging 8.9 ppg in four seasons.

INAM: “IT’S NOT ABOUT ME”
• In each of Zakai Zeiglers Through three seasons, Tennessee has finished in the top 15 nationally in assist percentage, according to KenPom. It ranked 13th in 2023-24 (61.0), second in 2022-23 (66.2), and sixth in 2021-22 (63.0).
• The Volunteers recorded more than 20 assists 11 times during the 2023-24 season and reached more than 25 assists three times, with a high of 28 against Vanderbilt (02/17/24).
• Tennessee recorded 20+ assists 23 times during the 2021-22 season and 25+ assists 10 times, with a high of 29 against USC Upstate (12/14/21).

POLL PRESENCE
• Tennessee has played 203 games as a ranked team in the AP Poll Rick Barnes‘ tenure with a record of 151-52 (.744). Over 66.9 percent of the Volunteers’ 303 games since Barnes’ arrival in 2015-16 have been played by the team in the AP poll, all since 2017-18 (203 of 237, 85.7 percent).
• UT is 130-47 (.734) while in the AP top-20 under Barnes, 99-34 (.739) while in the top-15, 79-25 (.760) while he is in the top-10, 36-12 (.750) while he was in the top five, 17-2 (.895) while he was in the top three, and 7-1 (.875) while he No. 1 was.
• The Vols are 28-22 (.560) in AP Top 25 matchups under Barnes, including 22-15 (.595) with both teams ranked in the top 20, 13-9 (.591), with both were in the top 15 and 7-6 (.538) with both being in the top 10.