Game Time, TV Info and Breakdown on Indiana's Basketball Opener Against Tennessee Tech
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It's finally here. The Indiana basketball season begins Wednesday night with a home game against Tennessee Tech at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall.
The 121st rendition of Indiana basketball will be unlike any other though, as the season opener will be played in a near-empty arena because of the COVID-19 pandemic. No fans will be allowed inside the arena for the first of two nonconference home games in the building.
Still, fans from every corner are curious to watch these Hoosiers, who are expected to be competitive in the Big Ten and earn an NCAA berth.
We had a scare about this game being played this week after Tech coach John Pelphrey tested positive on Monday and could not make the trip. All players and remaining coaches were tested against Tuesday before they left for Bloomington, and were tested again on Wednesday, and reports say they were all clear and the game is good to go.
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Here are the particulars on Wednesday's game:
- Who: Tennessee Tech Golden Knights (9-22 last year, 6-12 in the Ohio Valley Conference) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (20-12, 9-11 in the Big Ten)
- What: 2020-21 college basketball season opener.
- When: 8p.m. ET, Wednesday, Nov. 25
- Where: Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
- Latest Line: Indiana is a 22-point favorite as of Wednesday morning, according to DraftKings.com
- Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked in the top-25 polls. Indiana is receiving votes in both polls, and would be ranked No. 30 in the Associated Press poll and No. 34 in the Coaches Poll
- Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana is No. 26; Tennessee Tech is No. 314 out of 357 NCAA teams.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Brandon Gaudin, Robbie Hummel
- Radio: Indiana Radio Network
- Announcers: Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith
Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers on Wednesday
1. Show new-look pace
Archie Miller prefers to play fast and spread the floor, but this is his first roster that allows that to happen. We're going to see a lot of three-guard looks, and it's going to be interesting to see how cohesive they are on the first night.
Guards Al Durham and Rob Phinisee talked Tuesday about how great it is to have so many players who can push the ball up the floor. It's roll-out night on this new look, and it should be exciting to see.
"There's nothing more important this year than our guards taking care of the ball,'' Indiana coach Archie Miller said. "One of the ways you get beat early is if you don't take care of it. We have experienced guys, and it's on them to help the young guys along. To me, it's all about assist-to-ratio for our guys. We need to keep that turnover total low.''
2. Trayce's expanded game
As a freshman a year ago, Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers in scoring and rebounding, but almost of his points came right around the basket. He's talked since last March about expanding his game out to the perimeter, too, and we get to see how all that work has paid off on Wednesday night.
Jackson-Davis is on all sorts of national watch lists this preseason, and he's a legitimate All-American candidate. He might as well start posting some big numbers early. Everyone is raving over how much he's dominated preseason practices, winning the gold jersey three weeks in a row. His huge season starts tonight.
3. Immediate roles for freshmen
When Khristian Lander reclassified and joined this four-person class, he made Indiana a top-15 group in several national team rankings. He's expected to help immediately with this fast-paced game plan, and he's not alone.
Classmates Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal are both two-guards who can handle the ball well and attack the basket. Galloway played the point a lot in high school, and behind the scenes, he's been getting rave reviews in practice, too. Those three Indiana kids have gotten plenty of exposure on the high school level, but everyone's really excited to see the athleticism of Jordan Geronimo as well.
