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No. 11 Indiana Women Visit to No. 5 Tennessee 'A Great Barometer to See Where We Are'

Indiana's No. 11-ranked women's basketball team has its first true test of the season Monday when it hits the road to play No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville. Two Hoosiers will face former teammates, and the entire squad will see how it matches up against a top-5 team predicted to make the Final Four.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Indiana women's basketball will have its first true test of the season Monday night as the No. 11-ranked Hoosiers take on No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville in a game that pits two teams with big postseason aspirations.

"Some people have picked them to be a Final Four team, so it's a great challenge for us," Indiana coach Teri Moren said Sunday.

Although the Volunteers have gotten national attention early, they already dropped a game to Ohio State 87-75 last Tuesday in Columbus after 29 total turnovers and nine missed free throws. So there's no doubt Indiana will get the Volunteers' best shot. The game starts at 6 p.m. ET and is televised on ESPN2.

"There's going to be extra incentive because a Big Ten team has already knocked them off," Moren said. 

In two games, Tennessee is led by senior forward Rickea Jackson, who is averaging 16.5 points per game. Three other Volunteers — Jordan Horston, Jasmine Powell and Tamari Key — are also averaging double scoring figures.

Tennessee has a tall group with Key at the top of the list at 6-foot-6. Moren said it's going to take some heart and determination to put a stop to her.

"We've got to get on the inside of her and pursue and root her back and pursue the rebound," Moren said. "She's long enough to go right over your back even if you feel like you have inside position. That's not going to be good enough. You literally have to move her back."

As if the stakes weren't high enough, you can add some emotion to the game as well. Indiana guard Chloe Moore-McNeil will reunite with two of her former Greenfield (Tenn.) High School teammates in Tess and Edie Darby.

This is the first time Moore-McNeil will play collegiate basketball in her home state, five hours from where she grew up in in Sharon, Tenn.

Plus, Hoosier guard Sara Scalia will face her old Minnesota teammate in Jasmine Powell, who transferred to Tennessee ahead of this season. In her last year as a Golden Gopher, Powell shot 35 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three.

This season, she's averaging 11.5 points per game, plus 2.5 rebounds. Moren said thankfully Scalia doesn't show too much emotion and seeing a former teammate most likely won't rattle her.

"Not a lot of touchy-feely emotion there when it comes to stepping between those lines and competing," Moren said.

Moren said part of Tennessee's ammunition is they want to outrebound people, so keeping them off the boards and not allowing them to get put-backs and or run- outs is the Hoosiers' biggest key to the game. Tennessee averages 42.5 rebounds per game compared to their opponents' 39.5.

This will be the first time Moren has had a game in Knoxville. The last time the Hoosiers met the Volunteers was in 2020 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where Indiana lost 66-58.

"It was a dreadful, dreadful game for both teams," Moren said. "Neither one of us shot very well."

While it's nice that some Hoosiers have experience against the Volunteers, it doesn't carry a lot of weight since comparing the two Tennessee teams is like comparing apples and oranges.

It's not a team of cream and crimson veterans anymore, either. Indiana still has plenty of talent, but there are a lot of new faces on the Hoosiers' roster, as well.  

"We had all those vets — and when I call them vets, it's because they played together — you know there's great synergy amongst that group," Moren said. "We're still trying to build that."

So far, the Hoosiers have built their chemistry well through two nonconference wins. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes leads the way, averaging 16.5 points in two games with Scalia right behind her at 13 points per game.

Indiana has won easily the past two games, beating Vermont 86-49 and UMass Lowell 93-37. and Moren has gotten to test out a few different rotations and utilize all her bench players, which will prove valuable.

Moren said she will keep her starting lineup of Holmes, Grace Berger, Scalia, Moore-McNeil and freshman Yarden Garzon the same, because if it's not broke why fix it?

This will be Garzon's first big start in a game like this, and Moren is eager to see the lessons she learns from the challenge.

"We know the crowd's going to be orange, white and loud," Moren said.

The Hoosiers have had several high-level matchups the past few years, and  they never shy away from a tough matchup. In fact, they welcome it and said it's a great thing to have a competitive game this early.

"It's a great barometer to see where we are," Moren said.

  • INDIANA HANDS UMASS LOWELL HUGE LOSS: On Friday night, the Hoosiers defeated UMass Lowell 93-37 inside the Hall tying for their fourth largest victory margin of 56 points. Forward Mackenzie Holmes and guard Sara Scalia led the way with 17 and 15 respective points. CLICK HERE 
  • HOOSIERS WELCOME TWO SIGNEES: Indiana women's basketball announces the signing of guards Lenee Beaumont and Jules LaMendola for the 2023-24 season. Both players are ranked in ESPN's top 100 and as a class pair come in at No. 20 on ESPN's overall team rankings. CLICK HERE
  • SYDNEY PARRISH IS A BALLER: Indiana guard Sydney Parrish made her presence known in her first game in the cream and crimson leading the team with four steals. Head coach Teri Moren said Parrish is scrappy, a vocal leader and has been a great option for the Hoosiers, something the team didn't have one or two seasons ago. CLICK HERE
  • INDIANA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE: Here is the complete Indiana women's basketball schedule for the 2022-23 season. CLICK HERE