The Kentucky Wildcats are a team that Indiana basketball fans love to hate. With 180 miles separating Bloomington and Lexington, the Hoosiers and Wildcats have built quite the rivalry over the decades. On the hardwood, the two schools first played back on December 18, 1924, and have met a total of 58 times in their history.
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While Year 1 of the Darian DeVries era didn't go quite as planned for the Hoosiers, IU fans found great joy in watching Mark Pope and the Wildcats melt down in real time on Sunday afternoon against Iowa State in the Round of 32.
Kentucky's early exit has Indiana basketball fans smiling
Pope's second season in Lexington was a struggle. The Wildcats entered the season ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll, but struggled to find consistency all season long. They had a tough time in their non-conference slate, stumbled to a 10-8 record in SEC play, and now their season is over after falling to Iowa State by a score of 82-63 on Sunday.
Kentucky's $22 million roster is taking heat all over social media, and Hoosier fans are loving it.
Kentucky's $22M 2025-26 roster wraps up the season with a round of 32 exit 😬 pic.twitter.com/QdnZurpwkV
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 22, 2026
Even Kentucky fans are growing sick of Pope after just two seasons in Lexington. It appears Big Blue Nation may be ready to move on, and it's clear that Kentucky's March domination is now just a distant memory.
The Wildcats have now made it past the second round just once in the last five years, and frustration continues to build among the fan base. This is the harsh new reality of Kentucky basketball, and the pressure only continues to build for Pope after another early exit.
The Hoosiers and Wildcats are set to continue their historic rivalry this coming winter. The 59th meeting between Indiana and Kentucky is set for December 27, 2026 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Hoosiers are looking for revenge, as the Wildcats took this season's meeting by a score of 72-60 back on December 13 at Rupp Arena.