College basketball fans need a rekindling of the Indiana, Kentucky rivalry

While there are plenty of great college basketball rivalries today, one annual match up has been left on hiatus – Indiana and Kentucky.

A long-standing rivalry that has lasted upwards of nearly half a century.

College basketball longs for anticipation of the next greatest rivalry. The fundamental joy of college athletics is the bragging rights associated with wins. One quite like the Hoosiers and Wildcats once had, has diminished to a chance at facing off in the NCAA Tournament. Two historically great basketball programs have yet to play in the regular season since the 2011-12 season.

Historically, this rivalry has deep roots. Kentucky’s win against Indiana in the 1974-75 season, after Coach Knight had led his team to an undefeated season prior to the loss. Coach Knight led his team the following year to the last undefeated team in college basketball and Knight’s first national title. Some notable games include Kentucky’s win over Indiana in the 1983 Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament, Indiana’s upset win to No. 1 Kentucky in 1993, or even as recent as Christian Watford’s 2011 buzzer-beating win over the eventual National Champions.

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Ultimately after much consideration, the Wildcats Head Coach John Calipari talked about ending one of their annual rivalry match-ups in early 2011 (North Carolina, Louisville, or Indiana). After the 2011 regular season upset and a match-up in the 2012 NCAA Tournament the rivalry was over. Indiana’s Athletic Director proposed a four game renewal in 2012 for the two programs. Two of the games in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, one game at Assembly Hall, and one at Rupp Arena. Kentucky declined and Indiana ended negotiations inevitably moving on.

Setting differences aside for Indiana and Kentucky, college basketball fans as a whole should want to see a rivalry such as this one reignited.

Finding a happy medium for both schools…

It’s no secret that the last regular season game played between both schools left a toxic taste in Kentucky’s mouth. The No. 1 team in the nation coming into a sold out Assembly Hall featuring the best player in college basketball in Anthony Davis. The game came down to the last shot, in which well you know how it ends.

It makes sense that John Calipari was infuriated with what construed following the upset. Fans pile on the court in a tradition that has yet to stop in college basketball. Let’s put it in perspective. His fear for the players is justifiable, they were playing a road game as the top team in the nation at Assembly Hall. 17,000+ screaming Indiana fans. It sure seems as if this was enough of a tipping point to erase their annual meeting.

In hindsight, Kentucky ends up getting the last laugh. They beat Indiana in the Sweet Sixteen in 2012 and eventually land as National Champions.

The question is not whether Indiana wants to play Kentucky or vice versa, rather the terms in which both programs will agree to.  A statement released in 2012 stated that Indiana preferred keeping the games on campus while Kentucky wanted neutral site locations such as Indianapolis and Louisville. Following that statement, the two schools did not renew their contract to play annually.

"“We’re not going to play, we’re not going to do a home-and-home. That’s out. They don’t want to play two games in the state of Indiana, which I’m fine with. There are a lot of people who want to play us.” – Head Coach John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats (2012)"

Tom Crean also weighed in on the decision back in 2012:

"“We couldn’t have gotten our students up there, prices would have been too much to get them there. We will have around 8,500 students. The bottom line is that they didn’t want to play home-and-home and we did. We looked at it hard but it belongs on campus.” – Head Coach Tom Crean, Indiana Hoosiers (2012)"

Unfortunately the ball is in the court of Kentucky Basketball, they have been one of the most successful programs in the last decade. Whether you like to hear it or not, they have the upper hand when it comes to scheduling. As mentioned, Fred Glass proposed a solution to compensate for neutral site, home game showcases.

The petty party needs to end on both sides…

This idea is revisited nearly every year. The two sides need to find a way to reconcile their differences. Act like adults and find a way to get this rivalry back on track. Many want to blame Indiana for being greedy for refusing a commitment to play both games in the state of Indiana. Kentucky could be seen as petty for refusing a home game split. Comments like the one from Calipari could have also left a disdain feeling.

"“We were willing to play them both in the state of Indiana and they said no to that which means they don’t want to play us.” – John Calipari (2012)"

The truth is, both sides are to blame and the fans of Indiana and Kentucky are paying for it. One of the single best rivalries in all of sports being tossed out over where to play the games? Seems a bit selfish on both sides and it ruins the whole reason why collegiate sports are so meaningful.

Big picture, both schools should reopen the possibility of playing annually. The last game played between the two schools was in 2016. The second round of the NCAA Tournament drew the highest television ratings of the year for college basketball (games normally draw 2.0-2.6 rating during regular season).

The game was seen by over 10 million viewers. A game in which drew higher ratings than the 2015 National Championship game in Louisville.

The college basketball landscape should care about a rivalry of this magnitude. The finger-pointing, the passive aggressive comments are wedging the programs divide. The RPI calculations and logistical concerns are legitimately fixable. The plea from fans to both Coach Crean and Coach Calipari is simple.

Give us back the rivalry that both the Hoosiers and Wildcat fans love. The rivalry that college basketball wants and deserves to see.

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