Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall, where we highlight the top five IU basketball stories from the past week and take a look at the performance of the other IU athletic programs.

Basketball season is here as the Hoosiers begin today with a benefit game at Tennessee. Indiana also lost another big recruit.

Beyond these stories, we'll delve into information about former IU players in the NBA, football stars at College Gameday in town and weekly shows. As usual, we close with a look at other Hoosier sports, most notably men's soccer, as it continues its sweltering October.

As far as quick information goes, Inside the Hall posted a few more interviews from the media day.

Here's what's in this week's issue:

• IU opens its exhibition game against Tennessee today
• Indiana is missing five-star Braylon Mullins
• Hoosiers in the NBA
• Football hits Washington with College GameDay in town
• Podcast for Brink and Back Home Network shows
• Hoosier Summary

IU men's basketball will play six games on Peacock this season and women's will play five contests on Peacock, making the streaming service a must-watch for IU basketball fans. Sign up for Peacock using the Inside the Hall link to support the site and enjoy Big Ten basketball all season long! In total, over 70 men's and women's games featuring Big Ten teams will be broadcast on Peacock this season (The link is an Inside the Hall affiliate link, so a commission will be paid to ITH if you click and subscribe to Peacock. )

Banner #1 – IU opens exhibition game against Tennessee today

The Hoosiers' 2024-2025 season finally begins today with a bigger challenge than normal. Even if it counts for nothing, IU will face Tennessee in a charity exhibition contest that could reveal a lot about how good the team is.

The game begins at 3:00 p.m. on SEC Network Plus (a free online stream for those whose cable company carries SEC Network). Head coach Mike Woodson had media availability this week to discuss the match.

It's a crucial year for Woodson and the Hoosiers to get back on track after missing the NCAA Tournament last season and hitting a home run with several top players coming out of the transfer portal. Indiana is highly rated by many publications, including No. 18 in the prestigious USA Today Coaches Poll. Fox Sports' John Fanta shares this optimism after watching a recent team practice.

Banner #2 – Indiana misses out on five-star Braylon Mullins

While optimism is high for 2024-2025, the program's long-term stability remains in question after another major recruiting mistake. While Woodson has had success by acquiring prospects through the transfer portal and high school players in the spring, he struggles with lengthy recruiting.

The last top target to spurn the Hoosiers was five-star in-state guard Braylon Mullins, who will take his talents to Storrs Connecticut. Despite an elite class from Indiana State, IU only managed to sign Trent Sisley and will likely have to turn to the portal and late signees again to fill out the roster.

While the men lacked a top talent, the women got the commitment of a 2026 player. That promise came from the Louisville area and came in the form of Ashlinn James. Although unranked, this city has been good for the squad in the past, as two of the program's all-time greats, Grace Berger and Jaelynn Penn, hail from the Derby city. James also appears to be another athletic defender who has been in short supply in Bloomington.

As for the more immediate times for the women, they are ranked in the 2024-2025 Coaches Survey. They check in here at No. 24, which maintains a very long series of numbers before their name.

Banner #3 – Hoosiers in the NBA

With the opening of the NBA season, seven former Hoosiers have found their way onto a roster. These players include OG Anunoby, Thomas Bryant, Eric Gordon, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kel'el Ware and Cody Zeller.

Of those guys, Anunoby and Jackson-Davis will play the most significant roles for the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, respectively. Gordon of the Philadelphia 76ers now has the longest tenure in the league, having already made his breakthrough in 2008.

Banner #4 – Football beats Washington with College GameDay in town

Unlike basketball, football is having what may be its best season in program history. They're off to an 8-0 start and are one win away from tying their highest percentage ever in a single year.

After struggling to fill Memorial Stadium for so many years, Indiana has completely sold out its last two home games while Fox and ESPN's popular pregame shows were in town. The last two games of the regular season are already sold out.

Under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have easily won every game by double digits, including yesterday's 31-17 triumph over Washington. This has moved them up to 13th place in the rankings and is likely to climb even higher when the new polls are released today.

With just four games left in the regular season, a Big Ten championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff are within reach. Their next challenge is next Saturday when they travel to Michigan State.

Banner #5 – Podcast covering Brink and Back Home Network shows

The podcast on the Brink was recorded this week. In it, CBS' Jon Rothstein discussed the upcoming season of IU.

The Back Home Network was on the air several times this week. Bison Chat, several Crimson Cast episodes, Doing The Work, Dribble Drive and Xs And Joes all had episodes in the last few days.

Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup

• Men's soccer continued its undefeated streak in October by defeating UCLA, taking the lead in the Big Ten and moving within reach of a national seed in the NCAA Tournament as a host site. Because of his near-perfect play, several Hoosiers received conference honors.

• Volleyball was beaten by an elite Wisconsin team.

• Women's soccer fell to Minnesota.

• Field hockey fell short against Stanford and Ohio State.

• The women's swimming and diving defeated Notre Dame.

• Wrestling participated in the wrestle-offs.

• Women's golf placed seventh at Ally.

• Baseball was featured in a D1 baseball publication.

Thank you for your continued support of The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We'll be back next weekend with a new recap.

Now enjoy a 6-Banner Sunday.

Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Contributor to the meeting call

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