How to Watch Indiana's Exhibition Game Against Saint Francis

Indiana basketball hosts Saint Francis in an exhibition game at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, the coaching matchup and three things to see from Indiana.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's final tune-up for the 2022-23 season tips off at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers host Saint Francis, an NAIA school in Fort Wayne, Ind., in their second exhibition game after defeating Marian University 78-42 on Saturday. 

Early indications show Indiana's five-star freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau are ready to contribute in a major way. The Big Ten's top-ranked freshmen were announced in the starting lineup on Saturday, and both finished with double-digit points in their Indiana debuts. 

"I think the transition for them coming in, especially for Jalen has been easy for him because the kid works," Indiana coach Mike Woodson said. "Malik, I thought tonight was fantastic. He did a lot of good things defensively. He rebounded the ball, and we know he can score the ball. So I mean, it was kind of nice. Starting those two guys, first time at the college level, I thought they passed with flying colors tonight."

Saint Francis went on the road in its season opener, and defeated Michigan-Dearborn 94-81. Antwaan Cushingberry, a graduate of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, led the Cougars with 26 points, and Zane Burke, from Blackhawk Christian in Fort Wayne, added 23 points. 

• *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog from HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew. To read that story, CLICK HERE.

How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Saint Francis Cougars

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Saint Francis Cougars
• What: Indiana's second and final exhibition game before the regular season.
• When: 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 3
• Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: BTN-Plus. Watching Indiana's exhibition game against Saint Francis on Nov. 3 and the regular season opener against Morehead State on Nov. 7 requires an additional subscription to the Big Ten Network's BTN-Plus service. For access to BTN-Plus, you can purchase a school-specific subscription at $9.95 per month or $79.95 per year, which features all BTN-Plus content for your chosen school across multiple sports. They also offer a basketball-specific subscription for $54.99 per year that grants access to all men's and women's basketball games on BTN-Plus. There is no monthly option for the basketball-specific pass. The third option is to purchase the conference pass, which allows you to watch all BTN-Plus content across the entire conference for a variety of sports for $14.95 per month or $119.95 per year. For full information on how to purchase B1G+, CLICK HERE.
• Announcers: Jack Edwards (play-by-play), Max Parker (color), Abby Haymond (sideline)
• Radio: IU Radio Network
• Radio announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
• Poll rankings: Indiana is No. 13 in the preseason Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the coaches poll. Saint Francis is not ranked in the NAIA top 25.
• Futures: Indiana is the favorite to win the Big Ten regular season title at plus-290 odds, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook on Oct. 27. The Hoosiers are plus-900 to reach the Final Four and plus-4000 to win the National Championship.
• Last season's records: Indiana was 21-14 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play. In the NCAA Tournament, Indiana defeated Wyoming 66-58 in the First Four before an 82-53 loss to Saint Mary's in the Round of 64. Saint Francis was 24-9 overall and 13-6 in the Crossroads League. Saint Francis finished third in conference and was ranked No. 16 in the NAIA. Saint Francis defeated the Northwestern Red Raiders in the first round of the NAIA national tournament, but lost to Bethel to end the season. 
• Series history: First meeting
• Coaches: Chad LaCross is in his 13th season at Saint Francis, and he's the only coach in school history to post winning seasons every year as head coach. LaCross has coached the Cougars to a 291-124 overall record, including a conference title in 2015-16. He's taken Saint Francis to the NAIA Championship title game three times, and was the 2016 Rawlings NAIA Division II Coach of the Year. As a player, LaCross was a member of the 1997 Indiana All-Star Team at East Noble High School in Kendallville, Ind. He became a three-time NAIA All-American at Tri-State University, now known as Trine University, where he holds the career scoring record with 2,650 points. Mike Woodson is in his second season at Indiana after leading the Hoosiers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. Woodson has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Dating back to 1996, Woodson has also been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976-80, and was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, and played for various teams from 1980-91, averaging 14 points over 786 games. 

Indiana's Kaleb Banks (10) protects the ball during the second half of the Indiana versus Marian men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.

Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three things to watch from Indiana

1. Xavier Johnson's efficiency

Point guard Xavier Johnson wasn't Indiana's best player last year, but his play often dictated wins or losses for the Hoosiers. This was particularly evident during the Big Ten Tournament when Johnson scored 50 points in a three-game stretch, leading to wins over Illinois and Michigan before losing on a last-second shot to Iowa in the semifinal. Johnson shot 5-for-11 from 3 and 15-for-16 from the free throw line, while dishing out 22 assists compared to eight turnovers. 

For Indiana to reach its expectations of winning the Big Ten title this year, Johnson will need to build off his strong play from the end of last season. It's way too early to be concerned after one exhibition matchup, but Johnson wasn't on his game against Marian on Saturday. He hit 2-of-11 shots, including an 0-for-3 night from 3 with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two turnovers. Indiana has five-star freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino to relieve some pressure in the backcourt, but look for Johnson to return to last year's late-season form on Thursday.

2. Improvements beyond the arc

Indiana hit 8-of-19 3-point attempts in its first exhibition game against Marian, and it came from all over the court. Race Thompson was 3-for-4, Jordan Geronimo was 1-for-2 and Miller Kopp and Trey Galloway both hit their lone 3-point attempts. Geronimo shot 31 percent from 3 last season, with Thompson at 27.3 and Galloway at 21.4. Their improvement in this area would make Indiana even more difficult to defend with Trayce Jackson-Davis demanding attention in the paint. 

Freshman CJ Gunn also impressed in his Indiana debut, connecting on 2-of-3 attempts from 3. Gunn appeared confident to let it fly, and at 6-foot-6, he should be able to get his shot off as he transitions to the college level. Indiana will have to improve on its 33.3 3-point shooting percentage from last year, which ranked 11th in the Big Ten. 

3. Who steps up if Jackson-Davis, Bates remain out?

Preseason AP All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and sophomore guard Tamar Bates were held out of Indiana's first exhibition game on Saturday for precautionary reasons. There's no rush to bring them back for Thursday's exhibition game, and letting them rest would provide more experience for younger, less-established players.  

"I can't, wait on guys," Woodson said. "I mean, I've got to build a team to win. We'll get Trayce and Tamar back, eventually, and then we'll fit them in and do what we need to do."

On Saturday, sophomore center Logan Duncomb took advantage with an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double after playing sparingly last year. Freshman Malik Reneau led Indiana with 14 points and 11 rebounds, and 12 Hoosiers saw in-game action. Indiana has its deepest team in a handful of years, and Woodson is working to find the best rotations.

"It's important for everybody to play because from a coaching standpoint, I'm still learning and trying to figure out who can do what," Woodson said. "Even though we've been together five months, you know, practice is different than the game."

Related stories on Indiana basketball:

• WOODSON TELLS RECRUITING STORIES: Montverde Academy teammates Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau are the Big Ten's top-ranked incoming recruits for the 2022-23 college basketball season. On Inside Indiana basketball with Don Fischer, coach Mike Woodson offered insight into their recruitment to Indiana. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: The 2022-2023 Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball scheduled is now finalized with game time and TV information for every matchup. All games can be seen on BTN, BTN+, CBS, ESPN/ESPN2, FS1 and FOX. CLICK HERE
• LOGAN DUNCOMB'S DOUBLE-DOUBLE: Indiana sophomore center Logan Duncomb notched an 11-point 11-rebound double-double in Saturday's exhibition game against Marian. After playing sparingly as a freshman, he worked in the weight room and on the court to be ready to contribute in year two. CLICK HERE
• HOOD-SCHIFINO, RENEAU SHINE IN EXHIBITION: Former high school teammates Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau had dazzling debuts in their first game at Indiana, leading the Hoosiers to a 78-42 exhibition game victory over Marian on Saturday at Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE