Mark Pope loves everything about playing Indiana. (Vicky Graff Photo)
I’ve always considered the Kentucky-Indiana rivalry a natural one that should be on each team’s non-conference schedule. That all changed in 2011.
That’s when the Hoosiers stunned top-ranked Kentucky, and the Indiana contingent stormed the court, leading to a nine-year hiatus of the series. The two teams split a pair of games in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky defeated the Hoosiers at the Georgia Dome in 2012, while Indiana toppled the Wildcats in Des Moines, Iowa, four years later in 2016.
Although Kentucky’s basketball schedule is not even close to completion, a four-year renewal of the series will begin on Dec. 20 when the Hoosiers take the short trek from Bloomington to Lexington. The two teams will play each other at Lucas Oil Stadium four days before New Year’s Eve in 2026, followed by Indiana’s return visit to Rupp Arena on Dec. 18, 2027. The Wildcats will then play the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall on Dec. 16, 2028.
As he should, Kentucky coach Mark Pope embraces the return of the rivalry.
“I love everything about it,” Pope said. “I think these rivalries are really special in college basketball. I think this rivalry has an incredible history. I think it’s great for college basketball. There’s nothing about it that’s not great. I’m excited about it.”
During Pope’s tenure as a player, the Wildcats went 2-0 against the Hoosiers, including a thrilling 89-82 triumph at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis in 1995. Kentucky topped the Hoosiers 73-70 at Freedom Hall in Louisville the previous season.
“I have such beautiful memories of Kentucky-Indiana in the RCA Dome and looking up in the arena and seeing the aisleway where it was split, where it was all blue/white all across the arena on one side and all red and white on the other side of the stadium,” he said.
The series dates back to 1924 and has featured some memorable games. Fifty years ago, the Wildcats ended Indiana’s undefeated dream season with a 92-90 victory in the NCAA Mideast Regional finals that sent the Wildcats to the Final Four. The Wildcats finished runner-up after losing to UCLA in John Wooden’s last game.
A year later, the Hoosiers ran the table and went 32-0 to win the national title. Indiana’s two-year 63-1 run may never be replicated. It was the Wildcats who put a dent in the Hoosiers’ hopes for back-to-back undefeated seasons.
Looking back on the series, I can still remember late coaches Joe B. Hall and Bobby Knight chatting up the rivalry long before the “Dream Game” ushered in the yearly Kentucky-Louisville series. Border rivalries are fun, and the Kentucky-Indiana series should have never ended.
Former Kentucky coach John Calipari favored neutral-site games as opposed to home-and-home rivalries, which took away from premium non-conference games at Rupp Arena. Prior to the pandemic, fans didn’t mind visits to places such as Las Vegas to see a blueblood contest, but since that time, fans aren’t as willing to spend the money during the regular season.
It’s time to bring back big-time traditional home-and-home rivalries, and the renewal of the Kentucky-Indiana series is a good place to start.
11 Responses
Glad it’s back, but Indiana basketball hasn’t been the same since Knight era.
It showed how far indiana had fallen when they stormed the court after a lucky last second shot and tried to injure Ky players. Indiana was wimps not wanting to play on neutral courts each year after that. Wilkerson added some spice to next years game by vowing to bring the Loosiers back from the dead. I guarantee Ky won’t storm the floor after kicking their candy striped ass next year on Dec.13, Not the 20th.
This is a natural rivalry. Louisville and Indiana are getting better. They will no longer be a guaranteed "W" on the schedule, but that will help prepare us for the SEC season.
I agree which makes them even more fun. When we were thumping Louisville by 20+ points every time it took away from the hoping they had a chance so they knew not to brag to much. I’m glad Louisville is doing better because it makes 2 teams in the state of Kentucky that can win a championship and we will always be big brother. Indiana is also improving which should add to the rivalry. Indiana and Louisville are also fighting us for recruits and when they pick Indiana or Louisville it makes the rivalry even better. Wilkerson picked Indiana now he will Take that L with Indiana lol.
I see Louisville getting better but, Indiana NAH
We need to start the new series off with a Win. Which we will easily do this year. I agree this should be a home and home series. When we play them in Indianapolis it kinda feels like we are scared to go to Bloomington. Yes they have the worst fans in college sports but these days alot of fans are Indiana type fans. Cal didn’t like Indiana because they figured out how to beat him. You pack the paint and Cal is buried.
When a bunch of punks tries to hurt players (and they did try too) they don’t deserve to get a home game. It didn’t have nothing to do with scared to play them. Maybe you should tell Pope to pack the paint and maybe he can beat Cal next year.
They not only tried to hurt players, they also tried to hurt Wildcat
fans. They threw beer on them, pushed and shoved them, and
tried to tear clothes off female fans.
Wouldn’t bother me to never see Ky play Indiana again.
Especially in Bloomington.
I will never forget their fans running all over our team! Court storming to me is an insult to your own team. You make it seem like some kind of miracle that you won. What a total lack of class!
The NCAA should have sanctioned Indiana for that behavior, but they are a bunch of Hoosiers themselves being based in Indianapolis. The NCAA has become a joke with NIL and the transfer portal. Both need serious changes to bring the student back into the student athlete and stop colleges from becoming professional farm teams.
Could not disagree more if my life depended on it. The iu fans were despicable to the UK fans in Bloomington in 2011. The worst basketball fan base in America, bar none. iu is a has been and playing them is a lose, lose situation.I really hope this series expires ASAP.