Tennessee basketball announced a charity exhibition with Indiana on Tuesday morning that will benefit the John McLendon Foundation. The game will be played on Oct. 27 in Knoxville at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. A time and TV designation will be announced at a later date.
“We are thrilled to host one of the best programs in the nation and support a worthy cause at the same time,” Rick Barnes said in a press release. “I have a great deal of respect for Coach Woodson and I look forward to sharing a sideline with him for the first time. 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 John McLendon Foundation offers scholarships for minority students who intend to pursue a postgraduate degree in athletics administration. It is also home to the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative, a new coach-driven program to create access to and opportunity for meaningful employment experience for minority candidates known as Future Leaders.
Indiana will be playing in Knoxville for the first time. The two programs have met four prior times, all in official games at neutral sites. Three of the affairs were in the postseason, with just one in the regular season, while all four games came between 1967 and 1985. Indiana has won all four games.
Tennessee is 87-18 all-time in exhibition games, including preseason contests, in-season matchups and summer foreign tours. That ledger features a 65-11 domestic mark that is carried by a 62-9 record in Knoxville.
Tennessee announced its complete non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season this past Friday afternoon. UT will open its season on Nov. 4 when it welcomes Gardner-Webb to Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena.
The non-conference schedule features games at Louisville and Illinois, a home game against Syracuse and a handful of neutral-site games. Tennessee will also play games two days before Christmas and on New Year’s Eve. You can view Tennessee’s complete non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 season by clicking this link.
Tennessee found out its SEC schedule last Tuesday. It’ll begin SEC play on Jan. 4 with a bang when it welcomes first-year Arkansas coach John Calipari to Knoxville along with former Vol Jonas Aidoo. You can view Tennessee’s complete conference schedule for the upcoming season by clicking this link.
Busy Offseason
Tennessee is looking to build off a historic season in which it won its 11th SEC Championship last campaign and advanced to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history. UT’s 2023-24 season came to an end on the final day in March when it lost to No. 1-seed Purdue, 72-66, in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
The Vols had four players elect to enter the transfer portal to ignite an offseason filled with roster attrition. Aidoo elected to transfer to Arkansas, forward Tobe Awaka committed to Arizona, redshirt-freshman guard Freddie Dilione V transferred to Penn State and fellow redshirt-freshman guard DJ Jefferson transitioned to Longwood.
Rick Barnes’ 10th season on Rocky Top will feature a new look. Breakout star Dalton Knecht is off to the NBA after winning SEC Player of the Year during his lone season with the Vols, while guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James have run out of eligibility following decorated five-year careers.
Guards Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, Jordan Gainey and Cameron Carr do return, in addition to forwards Cade Phillips and J.P. Estrella. Tennessee went out and signed four players from the NCAA Transfer Portal in North Florida guard Chaz Lanier, Ohio State center Felix Okpara, Hofstra wing Darlinstone Dubar and Charlotte forward Igor Milicic Jr. The Vols signed one high school player in four-star guard Bishop Boswell.
This article originates on GoVols247.
8/27 Arizona Football Notebook: Brent Brennan holds weekly press conference
Brent Brennan meets with the media as Arizona prepares for its season opener against New Mexico.
Jason Scheer
* Arizona head coach Brent Brenna will coach his first game in Arizona Stadium and took some time on Monday to compliment all of college football and what it represents.
“I think college football is the best sport in the country,” Brennan said. “There’s all the things that go into it, from the tailgating to the Wildcat Walk to the band and the cheerleaders and the pom and the flag group and the students, the Zona Zoo.
“I know there’s lots of people that like watching games in the comfort of their home, but there’s nothing like the smell of walking into a stadium on game day and what that feels like, and feeling that energy and being a part of the experience. It’s one of those special things that happens across our country on all Saturdays in the fall.”
* There were only a few games this past Saturday, but most were close and one was Georgia Tech’s upset of Florida State as a 10-point underdog.
“It’s definitely something we talked about,” Brennan said. “Every game is a different game, and it’s all about how you prepare, and what your mindset is going into it. I don’t know why those things happened the way they did on Saturday, but credit to those teams that either pressed those teams to the edge or in the case of Georgia Tech, found a way to get it done.”
* Although Arizona is opening up its season, New Mexico already had a matchup against Montana State.
“They look like they play hard. They’re definitely creative defensively and offensively they’ve got some weapons. I felt like they were one catch away from it being over. I was really impressed on both sides of the ball. Bronco has been a really good coach for a really long time. They’re going to be ready to play and they have the advantage of having already played a game where we haven’t.”
* Brennan isn’t going to get creative with his pregame message this week, instead choosing to focus on Arizona itself rather than outside influences and the opponent.
“My message to the team is, it’s all about us,” Brennan said. “It’s about our process and how we prepare. It’s very, very simple, it’s boring and it’s not sexy. It’s all about the detail of our process and our preparation.
“I think that sometimes get lost with the exposure, media, friends, family, fans, all that stuff. It’s about us and this football team and how we go about our business this week preparing for this game and how we show up this Saturday, My expectation is for us to play well and that will be my expectation every week.”
* There’s a chance that Arizona could beat New Mexico with a limited playbook, but Brennan isn’t thinking along those lines.
“All I want to do is win, and so whatever we need to call to find a way to play good football and give ourselves a chance to win is what I want to do,” Brennan said.
* There are plenty of stats that Brennan could emphasize, but three stick out to him as being the most important.
“I think there’s a lot, especially now, with all the information you’ve got or you have access to,” he said. “I think the simplest ones will be turnover margin, third down, and red zone. Simple place to start for that.”
* There is new helmet communication between players and coaches and the coaching staff now knows who will get that communication on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s still under consideration, but I think it’s going to end up being Jacob Manu and if he’s not in then it’ll be Gunner,” Brennan said. “That’s not a surprise because everyone’s gonna know because they’ll have a green dot on the back of their helmet. The communication has been good. We were able to practice it a bunch.
“I think the tablets are going to be a useful tool for everybody. Just watching the games this weekend, you see how often everybody is utilizing it not he sideline. The big thing everybody needs to remember is no matter what happens in a game, you cannot show the tablet to the official. That’s a big one. I want to make sure everybody on my staff knows that. Under no circumstances are we doing that.”
Big 12 football schedules ranked by 2024 miles traveled
Which Big 12 football teams rack up the most miles?
Cody Nagel
For the second-consecutive year, the Big 12 looks significantly different. Despite the departures of Oklahoma and Texas, the conference now boasts 16 members, with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah — known as the “Four Corner” schools — joining for the 2024 college football season. The league has footprints in three time zones, making travel schedules a bit more challenging for some.
As the Big 12 enters a new era, some of its members will post a record number of miles traveled in a season. According to data from Bookies.com, seven Big 12 members — including three of the four newcomers — are set to venture at least 9,000 miles and round trip for its road games this season. In total, the 16 Big 12 teams will travel just short of 133,500 miles this season. To put that number into perspective, that is more than five times around the circumference of Earth.
So, which Big 12 football teams rack up the most miles traveled this 2024 season?
Below is a closer look at the Big 12 schedules ranked by round-trip miles traveled during the upcoming 2024 college football season, according to Bookies.com:
(16. OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS — 4,380 miles
Oklahoma State was actually near the top of this Big 12 list last season when the league expanded. Mike Gundy and the Cowboys travel more than 3,000 fewer miles in 2024, even with six road games on the schedule. The longest trip is out to BYU (1,681 miles round trip). Oklahoma State also has games at Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State and nearby Tulsa.
15. IOWA STATE CYCLONES — 5,502 miles
Iowa State leaves the Central Time Zone just twice in 2024 with conference road games at Utah and West Virginia. There is certainly a lot of distance between those two destinations, but being centrally located helps. The Cyclones also travel to Houston, rival Iowa and Kansas.
14. KANSAS JAYHAWKS — 7,381 miles
Technically Kansas will travel more than 7,300 miles during the 2024 season. The Jayhawks do not have any true home games on the schedule as its stadium undergoes a massive reconstruction. For the six actual road games on the slate, the travel distance is still manageable compared to the rest of the Big 12 with matchups at Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Illinois, Kansas State and West Virginia.
(Photo: Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports)
13. COLORADO BUFFALOES — 7,248 miles
A move back to the Big 12 will actually save Colorado some travel miles in 2024. Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes ventured more than 8,000 miles roundtrip last season. With two non-conference road games and four more in the Big 12, Colorado travels fewer than that this season. Away games include Arizona, Colorado State, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas Tech and UCF — the longest of them all.
12. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS — 7,600 miles
Part of the reason why Kansas State is the favorite to win the Big 12 in 2024 is its schedule. With a first-year starting quarterback in Avery Johnson, the Wildcats have a manageable slate that includes six road games at BYU, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Tulane and West Virginia.
11. TCU HORNED FROGS — 7,634 miles
TCU opens the 2024 season with its longest road trip of the year, going out west to face Stanford — a new member of the ACC. The Horned Frogs also have road games at Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, SMU and Utah.
10. Cincinnati Bearcats — 8,173 miles
Cincinnati does not leave the state of Ohio until late November, but it does have a short trip up to Oxford to face MAC favorite Miami (Ohio) in a Week 3 non-conference battle. The Bearcats won only two of their five road games last season — one more victory than they managed in their seven home games, if that puts things in perspective about how difficult their first season in the Big 12 was. Cincinnati faces Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas Tech on the road in conference play this season.
9. Baylor Bears — 8,223 miles
Baylor lost just two games away from Waco during the 2021 season in which it won the Big 12 Championship and Sugar Bowl. Since then, the Bears are 5-6 on the road, including neutral-site games. Baylor and head coach Dave Aranda travel much further in 2024 than it did a year ago, partially due to the road trip out to Utah in Week 2. Although the Utes are a Big 12 newcomer, this previously scheduled matchup is technically a non-conference game and will not factor into the league standings. The Bears also have road games at Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia.
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders — 8,672 miles
Texas Tech will make one of the longest road trips in the Big 12 this season when it ventures all the way to Washington State for a non-conference battle in Week 2. The Red Raiders lost their non-conference road game at Wyoming in 2023 and NC State in 2022. Can Joey McGuire turn that bad fortune around in 2024? If Texas Tech can get by the Cougars, it could set up a strong start in Lubbock before hitting the road again in October. The Red Raiders also have away games at Arizona, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and TCU.
7. Houston Cougars — 9,021 miles
Houston will more than double its round trip miles traveled for road games in 2024 compared to last season. The Cougars ranked fourth-lowest among Big 12 teams in 2023 for total travel distance, largely because they only left the Lone Star State twice all season. Houston and new head coach Willie Fritz already face a difficult campaign and leave Texas five times with the furthest trip being out to BYU. Other road games include visits to Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas, Oklahoma and TCU. Fritz went a perfect 10-0 in true road games during his final two seasons at Tulane before taking over at Houston.
6. Arizona Wildcats — 9,322 miles
Arizona will endure one of the longest road trips within the Big 12 this season when it travels to UCF — nearly 3,600 miles roundtrip. The newcomer Wildcats were fortunate enough to get two other road games closer to Tucson — at BYU and at Utah. Two additional road games outside the mountain region include visits to Kansas State and TCU. Arizona has never played in Manhattan and last went to Fort Worth, Texas, to face the Horned Frogs in 1999. The Wildcats will travel just under 1,000 more miles in 2024 compared to last season when it was a member of the Pac-12.
5. BYU Cougars — 9,421 miles
BYU was one of the Big 12 teams that traveled the most miles during its 2023 conference debut, covering nearly 13,000 miles. In 2024, the Cougars will travel over 3,000 fewer miles. Maybe that will lead to more success after a disappointing arrival to the power conference level? After opening the new season in Provo this Saturday, BYU hits the road in three of the next four weeks with trips to Baylor, SMU and Wyoming scheduled. Kalani Sitake and the Cougars also travel to Arizona State, UCF and Utah in the back half of the season. BYU went 1-5 in road games last year with the lone win coming at Arkansas.
4. UCF Knights — 9,778 miles
UCF added a new regional element to the Big 12 when it joined prior to the 2023 season. The Knights gave the conference a footprint in the South before the most-recent western expansion. Given the proximity of Orlando to the rest of the league members, it is no surprise UCF once again ranks among the Big 12 leaders in miles travel for 2024. The Knights ventured nearly 15,000 miles last season — the most of any power conference team by a significant margin. This season, UCF has just five road games at Arizona State, Iowa State, Florida, TCU and West Virginia.
3. Utah Utes — 9,796 miles
Utah will certainly need to earn its spot in the Big 12 title game if it wants to make some noise right away in the new conference despite a brutal travel schedule this season. The Utes have six games on the road in 2024, including five against Big 12 opponents: Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, Oklahoma State and UCF. Utah also has a non-conference road game at nearby Utah State in Week 3. The trip to Orlando to take on UCF is the longest road trip for any Big 12 team this season. The Utes have at least three road defeats in the past three seasons.
2. Arizona State Sun Devils — 10,026
Arizona State is one of 13 power conference teams that travel more than 10,000 miles this season. The Sun Devils are set to go well over their distance from last year when it had the second-lowest number of round trip miles among Pac-12 teams at 5,295. The road opponents are challenging in 2024 for Arizona State with each of the final three against teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25: Arizona, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. The Sun Devils also face Cincinnati and Texas Tech on the road in Big 12 play, as well as Texas State, one of the preseason favorites in the Sun Belt.
1. West Virginia Mountaineers — 11,138 miles
No team travels more miles in the Big 12 this season than West Virginia. It is difficult enough to get in and out of Morgantown, but long road trips add to the challenge the Mountaineers and Neal Brown will face in 2024. At more than 11,100 round trip miles on the itinerary for this season, West Virginia ranks 16th-most among the 67 power conference teams. The Mountaineers have road games at Arizona, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh and Texas Tech. Since Brown became head coach in 2019, West Virginia has struggled on the road, failing to post a winning record in any of the last five seasons with a 10-18 (.357) performance. Will 2024 be any different?