Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. Indiana: Score prediction, scouting report
Lady Vols basketball enters its most challenging stretch of the season, starting on Thanksgiving.
No. 20 Tennessee (3-1) faces No. 17 Indiana (3-1) on Thursday (6 p.m. ET, FOX) in the Fort Myers Tip-Off, where it will also face No. 21 Oklahoma on Saturday (1:30 p.m., Women's Sports Network). All games are played at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
The Lady Vols are coming off a 100-73 win over Troy on Sunday, and Indiana beat Lipscomb 77-44.
Here's what you need to know about the matchup with the Hoosiers.
Tennessee going into trip shorthanded
Senior forward Rickea Jackson has missed two straight games with a lower leg injury that has been labeled day-to-day. Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper did not have an update to her status after Sunday's game.
Tennessee was down two more players against Troy: senior point guard Jasmine Powell and sophomore guard Avery Strickland. Powell is "nursing" a right wrist injury, Harper said, and Strickland is in concussion protocol.
"We don't have an update on timelines," Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said Sunday. "Sometimes injuries just don't allow you to have a timeline. You've got to work with them to help get them healed and able to get out on the court."
Powell and Jackson's potential absence in this stretch changes everything for Tennessee, which relied on them heavily for rebounding and defense, besides their offensive production.
Shutting down Mackenzie Holmes is key
Indiana definitely feels the loss of Grace Berger, who was drafted to the WNBA, but Hoosiers still have All-American Mackenzie Holmes. The 6-foot-3 forward is averaging 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
Holmes can be stopped, however, and had her worst showing of the season in Indiana's loss to Stanford. When Holmes played against All-American Cameron Brink, she had eight points on 3-for-12 shooting and only two rebounds.
Tennessee's post players have to be disciplined defensively against Holmes, or she'll hurt them in the paint and on the boards.
Indiana surrounds Holmes with shooters
The Hoosiers have a handful of high-percentage 3-point shooters to surround Holmes with. Senior Sara Scalia leads the team through four games with 11 made 3-pointers on 42.3% shooting.
But sophomore Yarden Garzon led the team last season with 70 3-pointers on 45.8% shooting. Senior Sydney Parrish hit 55 3-pointers on 36.7% shooting last season and Scalia hit 53 on 34.4% shooting.
Indiana is a high-percentage shooting team overall, and has hit 50.9% of all field goals in its first four games. Tennessee cannot give up easy shots or this game could get ugly fast.
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Score prediction
Tennessee 88, Indiana 83: Both these teams are capable of scoring a lot of points, and with the personnel Tennessee is missing, its best bet is outrunning the Hoosiers. Based on the balanced scoring we've seen, I think the Lady Vols can pull it off.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball score prediction vs. Indiana in Fort Myers Tip-Off
