Myles Rice Says Win At No. 12 Tennessee Will Prepare Indiana For Future

Indiana’s new point guard Myles Rice, a transfer from Washington State, scored 20 points in an exhibition win over Tennessee on Sunday.

Jack Ankony | Oct 31, 2024

Indiana point guard Myles Rice drives past Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler. / Indiana University Athletics

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It doesn’t count toward Indiana’s official record, but point guard Myles Rice sees value in No. 17 Indiana’s 66-62 exhibition win at No. 12 Tennessee on Sunday.

He felt it was a confidence boost for a team with seven new players, himself included, to win away from home. After months of practicing against each other, it was the Hoosiers’ first test against a real opponent, a program that won the SEC title and reached the Elite Eight last season.

Rice knows there are still steps the Hoosiers need to take as a team, but their first one went in the right direction. And moving forward, he thinks they can draw from this win when facing similar situations.

“That didn’t feel like an exhibition game. It felt like a real, midseason type of game on the road against a top-15 team,” Rice said Thursday. “I just loved the way that we battled. We never gave up. It was a back-and-forth battle all game long, and I think that just prepares us for the moments like postseason basketball, in-conference time and just on the road in general, like when we go to the Bahamas and everything.”

It also showed Rice that Indiana can win a gritty game with imperfect scenarios. Due to injury, the Hoosiers were without Trey Galloway, Bryson Tucker and Jakai Newton, who Rice called big contributors. Indiana’s new point guard said the team has gelled quickly and is where it wants to be at this early stage of the season. And once it gets to full strength, another level can be reached.

Against Tennessee, Rice scored 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 night at the free throw line. He said the game was less about his individual matchup against one of the nation’s best point guards, as he was more focused on Indiana winning the game.

But Rice certainly played a key role, adding four assists, two steals and two rebounds, all while not turning the ball over in a matchup against Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler, the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) tries to drive through Indiana guard Myles Rice (1) and forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21). / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As a point guard, Rice tries to strike a balance between scoring, facilitating and setting the tone.

“I’m always out here to get the team involved at first and kind of see where everybody’s head and energy is at early on in the game,” Rice said. “Like I said, we went to Tennessee, it was a very hostile crowd, environment, a lot of nerves was going on, so I just had to be the head of the snake and just continue to be poised and let everybody else settle in. And whatever it is, if it’s me rebounding or me facilitating or me playing defense, whatever it takes for me to get the team calmed down in a certain situation or moment, that’s what I’ll do.”

Rice made a mid-range jumper to give Indiana a 62-59 lead with 1:38 to play. Zeigler finished with 13 points, eight assists and three rebounds, but he shot 2 for 10 from the field and committed five turnovers.

One of his main jobs as a point guard, Rice said, is to make things easier for his teammates. He saw that happen against Tennessee with forward Malik Reneau, a teammate he feels a special bond with since joining the Hoosiers. He’s made a point to understand where Reneau likes to get the ball and how he can help the power forward find a rhythm early in games.

Rice assisted Reneau’s dunk with 1:02 left in the game, which gave the Hoosiers a four-point lead and capped off his 21-point performance. He also made two free throws down the stretch to help seal the win. Rice transferred to Indiana after being named first-team All-Pac-12 and leading Washington State to the NCAA Tournament last year, and he hopes to build on that success as a Hoosier.

“Being able to compete at a high level against a really good point guard as well as a great team, great environment, you live for those moments at the same time,” Rice said of the Tennessee win. “Last year, I was in a lot of those moments and I’m just happy that I’m able to continue it here and looking forward to the season and how many more moments we can have like that.”

Indiana beat Tennessee in an exhibition in Knoxville, 66-62. Malik Reneau led the way with 21 points and 6 rebounds, including this slam with a nice dish from Myles Rice, who was excellent - 20 points and 4 assists for him. Hoosiers have a floor general.pic.twitter.com/spUKGHP7S4
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) October 27, 2024

Indiana also added transfer Kanaan Carlyle this offseason, a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 11.5 points per game last season at Stanford. He finished with five points, going 1 for 6 from 3-point range against Tennessee, along with four assists, three rebounds and two turnovers.

Despite his shooting struggles, Rice felt Carlyle maintained his intensity and energy throughout the game. Rice takes it upon himself to get his teammates good looks.

“I thought [Carlyle] was very comfortable, in my eyes. I think all the shots that he took were the shots that he takes in practice, he was just missing,” Rice said. “But as far as my job and what I can do for him, just continuing to get him wide-open looks and make him get into a flow easier, maybe get him a layup, get him to the free throw line so he can see a couple go in.

Coach Mike Woodson said during the offseason that Rice and Carlyle change the game for Indiana due to their speed, quickness and by simply giving the team more ball-handlers than last season. Woodson knows playing fast can lead to more turnovers than usual, and Rice said Thursday there’s no such thing as mistake-free basketball.

But throughout the offseason, he has worked on making this new offensive dynamic successful. Rice said Woodson trusted him to play freely and feel out the game during open gym sessions. Since beginning official practices more recently, Woodson has been coaching him to notice certain things about the defense, which indicate whether he should push the pace or set up Indiana’s halfcourt offense.

Rice thought the exhibition game taught him to pick and choose when to play fast and when to walk the ball up and execute half-court offense. Indiana’s ability to score in transition will vary depending on the opponent, Rice said, and the exhibition game was a good lesson in determining when to do so.

Tennessee is traditionally a strong defensive team, ranking top five in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rating in each of the last four seasons and ranking fourth in this year’s preseason ratings. He noticed Tennessee pressuring the ball and denying passes when Indiana slowed the pace down, which made it important to make the most of their opportunities to run.

Coast-to-coast for No. 1️⃣!@mylesrice02 | #IUBB pic.twitter.com/Yz35xIExwR
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) October 27, 2024

The emphasis getting out and running showed up at times against Tennessee, as Indiana scored 18 fastbreak points to the Volunteers’ nine. Rice felt those easy buckets helped Indiana build enough of a cushion toward the end of the game, when it could slow things down and run out the clock while leading.

The first game in an Indiana uniform was a positive one for Rice, albeit an exhibition game. The Hoosiers take the court in another exhibition game on Friday against Marian University, before their regular season opener on Wednesday against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

Rice is focused on day-by-day improvement, knowing that it’s a long season. He’s excited about the win over Tennessee and Indiana’s long-term potential but knows there’s room for the new-look Hoosiers to grow.

“[I was] congratulating everyone on how well they played and telling them that it’s not going to be perfect, it’s not going to be pretty in the beginning, we still gotta get out a lot of the kinks and get familiar with one another when we’re playing against somebody else,” Rice said. “... If we improve each and every day and we’re striving to be better than we were in our last previous game or the last previous day, then we’re in the right direction.”

Myles Rice Says Win At No. 12 Tennessee Will Prepare Indiana For Future

Jack Ankony | Oct 31, 2024

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