Kentucky Wildcats at Indiana Hoosiers: A Rivalry in Serious Need of Renewal
by Glenn Logan on Dec 8, 2011 10:07 AM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Basketball
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Let's face it, folks; the Indiana-Kentucky basketball rivalry just ain't what it used to be. This once-virulent rivalry has become very much one-sided in the last 20 years with Kentucky on the top side. That has left a proud Hoosier faithful, who were very much in charge of the rivalry in the 1970s bitter and yearning for a renewed competitive series that many Kentucky fans have never really known.
Kentucky and Indiana have played basketball against each other, on and off, since 1924. There have been some big gaps in the series, so it isn't as if this is the oldest rivalry in Kentucky's pantheon of rivals, but at one time, it was unquestionably the most intense. The early games were apparently marked by physical play on both sides according to reports, but it is in the 1970's where the game became a staple on the schedule of both the Wildcats and the Hoosiers. Since 1969, the two teams have met in battle at least once each season.
The game went from home-home to neutral sites in 1991 and stayed that way until 2005, when it went back to home-home. Kentucky is leading the series as of today 31-23, and the series really hasn't been truly competitive since about 1993. Since 1994, Indiana has only won the game 4 times in 17 tries.
This rivalry has many great story lines, most of them involving major upsets by both teams, two legendary and outspoken coaches, and one serial NCAA violator that was responsible for Indiana's most recent victory over Kentucky as well as setting the IU program back half a decade with his reckless NCAA lawlessness.
But to truly appreciate how the modern rivalry began, and to some extent, ended, you have to go back to 1969, the beginning of the modern series. Kentucky would win that year, and the following year. And then Bobby Knight took the coaching job at IU in 1971. From that day until the 1976 season, Indiana would only lose a single game to the Wildcats in seven meetings. But that game is a Kentucky legend.
From 1974 to 1976, Indiana only lost one college basketball game. Normally, when teams go on runs like that multiple national championships are the result, and during that period, IU absolutely dominated the college basketball world. But one team interrupted that two-year run of perfection, and that team wore Blue and White.
The setting was the NCAA Mideast Regional Final, 1975, in Dayton, Ohio. Coming into that game, the Hoosiers would be on a 34-game winning streak, and the #1 ranked team in America. Joe Hall's Wildcats would be ranked #5, with the makings of a nascent national champion in the person of Rick Robey and Mike Phillips competing as freshmen, both of whom would have a major hand in the outcome. Kentucky would go on to win that game in overtime to advance to the Final Four and send Indiana back to Bloomington, lamenting what could have been a two-year undefeated run.
After that untimely defeat, the Wildcats quickly became public enemy #1 to the Hoosier faithful after a long stint on the short end of the rivalry. The Hoosiers would pull a big upset in 1993 against then #1 Kentucky, and the Wildcats would return the favor in 2002. There have been a total of six overtime games in this rivalry series, the most against any major non-conference Kentucky rival.
From 1975 on, the series became Wildcats-dominated with occasional Hoosier victories sprinkled in every few years. But during the Bob Knight years, the Hoosiers were almost always ranked among the nation's elite, and despite the Wildcats' undeniable success, this was a game that Kentucky couldn't take for granted. Ten years later, though, this happened, marking the beginning of the slow and painful decline of Bob Knight's tenure at Indiana that would encompass 15 more years and innumerable lapses in judgment:
In 2000, Bob Knight was removed as head coach over alleged player abuse, and his assistant, Mike Davis, elevated to the position of head coach. Mike Davis managed only one victory against Kentucky in his final year as head coach in 2004. Mike Davis made great theater of the rivalry, and definitely intensified it with his "I hate Kentucky" comment in 2001.
Then, this happened:
Since that stupefyingly wretched coaching performance that arguably cost his team the game, Davis would have only the 2005 Hoosier victory on his slate as head coach versus Kentucky during his six-year tenure that ended in 2006.
But even all the Davis theatrics could not rescue the rivalry. After Davis left, Kelvin Sampson came from Oklahoma to take the reigns of the storied Hoosiers. He managed only one victory, against the Billy Gillisipe-coached Wildcats in 2007 before leading IU into the NCAA maw, where their program was chewed up and spit out a bloody mess.
After hiring Tom Crean to replace Sampson, the Hoosiers have been on a gradual path to improvement that culminated in the matriculation of Cody Zeller to Bloomington, brother of North Carolina Tar Heels star Tyler Zeller. With Zeller and the maturation of some early fine recruits, IU has finally reached the point where they are once again competitive on the national scene and on the verge of entering the top 25 for the first time since 2007.
This year, the Hoosiers are desperate for a victory and think they have the team to pull it off against the top-ranked Wildcats. If so, it could well renew a rivalry that has become moribund due to its current one-sidedness.
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Luke Zeller?
Shouldn’t that be Cody Zeller? Luke is the oldest brother and played for Notre Dame, I think. Famously, Anthony Davis kept calling Tyler Cody in his post UNC-game remarks. :-)
Quite right, thanks for the correction.
I tried to be careful not to make that error, but I did it anyway. It’s been a tough week.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I imagine that Cody and Anthony
have seen each other in a few all star games and that is why AD called Tyler by his brother’s name.
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
Yeah, no doubt.
Lot’s of Zellers to keep track of. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
This is indeed the best IU team in years.
I watched them play Stetson the other night.
To IU’s discredit, Stetson is picked to finish last in the Atlantic Sun,
and the game was close at the half, but heaven knows we’ve seen the Cats
look less than stellar for stretches against easy opponents.
But IU looked very good in the second half.
The offense runs through Zeller, but he is not the whole team.
He has lots of help inside and out. And on the bench.
They are skilled and talented, but I don’t think they are long or fast enough to keep up with us the whole game.
The first half could go either way; we could jump on them and crush them, or they could shock our young team into confusion (probably something in between).
But I predict that the second half belongs to the Cats.
Their schedule is been very soft, but I think that is the right approach for Crean this season. I don’t think they can hang with UK for a full game, but the Hall is going to be loud and tough on the Cats initially.
I happen to like Indiana, in part because I have family and friends from various places in the state. I was also at Illinois for grad school when Gordon famously switched commitments. Everybody there went apoplectic at the thought of another school being better than UI. They had already lost their cool when Bill Self, unable to convince themselves it was an upgrade for Self. I didn’t enjoy most of my time at UI, so Indiana’s success helps me enjoy some schadenfreude at the expense of my alma mater. However, I’m looking forward to seeing them lose this one.
You're right about this bob
I’ve watched a couple of IU games, too. Zeller is very good, but Hulls, Sheehey, and Olipado are good too. Then throw in Watner, who was the offense the last two years, and you’ve got some fine basketball players. They will be up for us, and Assembly will be rocking. I think UK wins, but it could be a close one.
Such fond Bobby Knight memories make me a little teary-eyed
Thanks for reminding me that Bobby Knight is one of the all-time horse’s behinds and Mike Davis carried on the tradition admirably. Indiana fans have to be delighted with Tom Crean after the last three losers they’ve had for their coaches.
I liked Mike Davis.
He cared too much, I think. Wore his emotions on his sleeve. And let it get to him. But I loved his passion.
he admitted about a year into his job with UAB
that he was over his head in Bloomington. Not prepared for what was being asked of him. I don’t have a dislike for him, but I feel indifferent towards the man.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
Child of the 90's
Intellectually I understand that IU is a rival of UK’s, but I just don’t feel it.
I was in 3rd grade in 1994 out in CA. I didn’t become a UK fan until I started attending graduate school at UK. My conception of IU is as a basketball team that used to be great, then was pretty good for a while, then slipped into mediocrity. Then they fired Bob Knight, who I only knew of as the abusive coach that used to be great. I knew of some “east coast” rivalries growing up, with Duke/UNC being the main one. I learned about the UK-UL rivalry when Pitino took the job (up to that point I’m not sure I was aware of UL as a team that was supposed to be good).
My point is that it is going to take a lot for me to actually feel the IU rivalry. Right now they rank behind UL, UNC, Duke, almost all of the SEC, UCONN, and maybe some others an my personal “order of dislike” list. I confess I am a person who carries over football losses to seek vengeance during basketball season (I know the other teams don’t care, but I do).
Hats of to IU fans, though. They are really are pulling out all the stops in an effort to make me hate them.
This makes me wonder
In all the talk about the possibility of dropping a non-conference series, I haven’t heard anything about reactions from the coaches or fans of those other teams.
What do IU fans, for example, make of the fact that Kentuckians today think so little of them? Where does this series rate in their non-conference schedule?
Eagle Totem - Comprehensive EMU coverage.
I can’t think of any big non-conference games for IU. I don’t know if they are playing Notre Dame this days. During the recent leaner years, I think Butler-IU became a bit of a rivalry, but I don’t see that lasting. As far as the fans: over at Kentucky Sports Radio there are some pretty embarrassing tweets from IU fans threatening Cal and the players. I consider that more kids with twitter handles spewing garbage than a representation of the Hoosier fans. I do think the fact that most UK fans can’t remember the last time IU was a national contender (even though they did make a title game appearance at the turn of this century) is driving some of hate coming from the border.
oh and if we don't play Duke or UNC
In the B1G-ACC challenge then Kentucky is our only ‘big’ nonconference game every year. Which I don’t have a problem with. The B1G is tough enough. It’s not like with Kentucky where they need to schedule a slew of tough opponents in their nonconference schedule to test themselves against that kind of competition because the SEC is usually pretty weak and doesn’t provide it.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 12:06 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Crean would do well to “play anybody, anywhere”, as is Cal’s philosophy. The types of guys Crean is getting now aren’t coming to Bloomington to play Stetson. The best high school kids play against each other during the summer, and want to continue it in college.
this cake schedule is a necessity of the rebuilding project
the schedule makes a considerable bump next year with great recruiting classes from ND and Butler, plus a pre-season tournament. The schedule makers are doing the right thing in my opinion. The only reason this schedule isn’t as tough this year is due to other programs not holding up their ends of the bargain. NC State, Butler, Kentucky and Notre Dame should all be super quality opponents. 3 of the 4 aren’t holding up their end this season.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
it's to be expected.
We’ve been a terrible team for the past 3 years so those will shorter memories won’t consider IU much of a rival and even before that kentucky won, what, like 12 out of 16 games? So I don’t blame Kentucky fans for not hating IU but it does piss me off a bit considering that I hate Kentucky basketball more than any other team in any sport save maybe the San Diego Chargers.
The rivalry is bound to be renewed soon, though. This year IU is within spitting distance of KY’s talent level and next year we’ll be damn near even footing. Plus, you never know, IU could pull of the upset Saturday and then we’d be deserving of your ilk sooner than expected. For the record I’m not expecting that to happen, but if you gave me 4-1 odds on IU I’d definitely take that bet.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 11:59 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Jeez, the people in Indiana...
This year IU is within spitting distance of KY’s talent level
must be able to spit a mile.
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
by kywineman on Dec 8, 2011 12:04 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
you are aware that Kentucky is
Only favored to win by 6, right? Now some of that number being low is because the game is being played at Assembly Hall, but it’s also low because IU isn’t as terrible as last year or the year before. Kentucky is much more talented, I can’t deny that. You’ve got more length and athleticism than any team in the country. All I’m saying is that IU isn’t THAT far off. Have you watched any IU games this year?
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 12:14 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
To put it in the local vernicular,
“I’m just funnin’ with you”. :) I fully realize that IU has stepped up their game and I am glad to see it. To be the best you have to play the best and beat the best. The more you guys bring to the table, the better. I have seen a couple of IU games this year and the improvement is quite apparent. We will give you a true barometer of where you stand on your road back to relevance. You will give our young team a test that they need, playing on the road in an hostile environment. This is a good experience for both teams. One thing I got from the UNC game was how two good teams lined up and played in a big game and did it respectfully towards each other. I hope the IU game will be as competitive and cleanly played as that game.
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
I'm a Chargers and UK fan
I hadn’t realized that my fandom combines two hated teams in Indiana, but it makes sense. If it makes you feel any better, the Chargers suck this year. Not Colts level sucking, but the Colts have an excellent excuse for their suckitude. The Charger’s were actually supposed to be good this year, then Phil Rivers decided to do his best Vinny Testaverde impression.
chargers are screwed until they get rid if norv.
Great offensive coordinator. BAD head coach.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 12:35 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Um...
This year IU is within spitting distance of KY’s talent level and next year we’ll be damn near even footing.
My response:
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
by btcoop71 on Dec 8, 2011 12:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
perhaps I should elaborate on that
using 2012 rankings doesn’t help your argument because it is based on the assumption that the team is improving because of those three recruits. However there is a great chance the top 6-7 contributors on this current Kentucky team will not be on next year’s Kentucky team. Indiana will keep all of its current talent minus Verdell Jones III and add 5 guys in the 2012 class that is ranked 6 classes behind Kentucky.
As for this year, Vegas odds makers, Jeff Sagarin and Ken Pomeroy all have the game within “spitting distance” for IU with the spread at +/-6 or smaller.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
I was just joking with the roflcopter
However, Indiana hasn’t played much of a schedule so far, so their eFG% and True Shooting % is artificially high.
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
yeah I realized that seemed more harsh than I intended
I do enjoy a good roflcopter .gif though. I don’t think their eFG% or Shooting % are all that artificially high. They were a top 60 shooting team last year with zero post presence. Indiana’s only strength has been its sharp shooting for the last three years. Now that there is a post threat that sharpshooting can be exposed and better utilized. Although I don’t believe their shooting is this good. The are still probably top 10 when discussing the BCS schools.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
I didn't check any rebounding or defensive metrics, how have you all been in those areas?
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
pretty decent on the offensive end
struggle to keep guys off the offensive glass when we’re on defense. That falls under the category of “Cody Zeller is the only true front court player” of excuses. That being said, Derek Elston, who has been designated the under performing player as a sophomore has shown flashes of ability as a junior. Could be a viable PF option later in the season. Don’t think he’ll be a big factor Saturday though.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
have you ever stepped foot in the state of Kentucky?
Because I’m getting the feeling you’re more of a Steelers/Lakers/Alabama football/Kentucky basketball fan who lives in Portland.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 12:51 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
north carolina for sure.
Cause they love being able to sport the baby blue apparel!
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 1:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Joking comment was a joke....
Easy there cupcake.
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
ah, sorry. should have suspected as much.
Most UK fans I’ve met who are FROM kentucky are more likely to invite you to Christmas than they are to be a d-bag. It’s kind of infuriating really.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 12:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
i do like me some bourbon.
Generally like scotch better but as my kentucky-dwelling cousin would say that’s only because I haven’t been drinkin the correct bourbon. Oh well. It’s beer 90% of the time anyway. Hard liquors get me into too much trouble.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 1:05 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Also, I should have made it more clear I was joking above
Mea Culpa
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
I see you have some new friends... Lol
by Bluehound on Dec 8, 2011 1:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well, it is pretty cool
that you have a PG coming named Yogi…
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
--O.W.
Is that a real player
or the favorite pastime among hoosier fans?
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
I want to make a Kentucky beastiality joke here
but I’ll leave that one alone. :-)
I’m from the Evansville area, so my hate for Kentucky goes much deeper than just a basketball game.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
my mother always taught me to follow up a criticism with a compliment
I do really enjoy the show Justified.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
x
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
by btcoop71 on Dec 8, 2011 1:05 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Roy Williams has spoken on the subject
and mostly mirrors the comments from Coach Cal. The reason for the conversation in the first place is conference expansion and thus having to make room for additional conference games. I think Coach Cal invited a lot of skepticism and criticism when he threw in comments about strength of schedule and his freshmen oriented teams. Bottom line on this is the bottom line. It is about money.
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
by kywineman on Dec 8, 2011 12:00 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That game with Davis was wild..
I remember sitting there not knowing who was gonna win, and then that happened and just being amazed. Literally cost his team that game. Still crazy to think about.
No one watching that game
will ever forget the Davis outburst. It was just surreal. And pretty funny, in hindsight.
My grandmother...
may she rest in peace, was a diehard IU fan. She was born and raised in Greensburg, IN and LOVED Bobby Knight, but she married into a Kentucky family and adopted UK as her second team. She always rooted for UK unless they were playing IU. I still remember in the 80s going to her house in Greensburg on UK/IU Saturdays and she’d be decked out in red, surrounded by a bunch of people in blue.
It was a really fun rivalry once upon a time, and I’d love to see it renewed.
You can put it on the board....YES.
hey in Knight's defense
those were pretty awful calls. I mean really awful. I know the daughter of the guy shooting free throws for Purdue during that incident. He looks back and laughs at it, his family wants Knight to burn claiming that the chair was thrown at him (when it clearly wasn’t).
All in all, even with the current riff between Knight and IU, when Knight passes on into the great unknown and takes his bittnerness with how his tenure at Indiana ended he will revert back to Hoosier sainthood status. Until then, more time is needed to heal those wounds.
Mike Davis was not a very good coach and was in over his head for six years. Sampson is a great coach but a bit of a slime ball. However, I’d like to point out that if Sampson did what he did then, next year, it would be perfectly legal in the eyes of the NCAA. Still inexcusable a the time.
Indiana fans hate Kentucky more than Kentucky hates Indiana because we don’t really have that non-conference rivalry. Kentucky has 8. So we get to focus our non-conference ire and time on the Wildcats and bagging on Purdue. Then conference play begins and we get to add Illinois to the mix.
For full disclosure this is coming from a guy who grew up in a Purdue household, rooting for Purdue and hating Knight and the Hoosiers. Since then I attended school in Bloomington and fell in love with the school and program. I now hate Purdue, love IU (except for those Davis/Sampson years) and have always whether I liked Purdue or IU, hated Kentucky. It’s bread into me.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
I find it hard to hate IU since Bob Knight left
IU fans this week however have been giving Louisville fans a run for their money in terms of stupidity (present company excluded).
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
twitter and Rivals free message boards give voice to the trolls in every fan base
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
idiots in every fanbase.
We’re getting more now the team is improving. Goddamned bandwagon jumpers.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 12:56 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
nothing proves that more
than just looking at the Colts fan base this season. Embarrassing.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
I don't think the Colts will ever have a
Truly faithful fanbase. Indiana will always be a basketball state. Up until maybe 10 years ago if you asked what I wanted more a superbowl or a nba championship for the Pacers I’d say Pacers championship without hesitation. Then I realized no small market team not named san antonio will ever have that chance so I flipped my response.
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 1:21 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
There is no sense living in the past.
.
The win over UNC resulted in national exposure, national gushing from the media and no doubt tweets and facebook updates from young, talented recruits from all across the…. nation. It is a series that simply must continue.
A win over IU this weekend will only be on outlets like ESPN because the No. 1 team is always covered. Not much upside to this series at the present moment, outside of those people who passionately care about Indiana. Which is not the nation.
As for Knight: those were not very good calls, at all. On the other hand, they were not so unusually bad to warrant the temper tantrum and attempt at intimidation that he threw. Anyone who thinks that guy is a role model is not paying attention… or at least not to Steve Alford in the video, who was whining and getting in the face of the officials as well (0:12). Plus, it did not really work- that official at 2:43 does not look very intimidated by Knight to me.
There is really no justification for Knight’s behaviour, across his entire career. Even those who made allowances because of his success as a coach had to notice that the game had passed him by when his last six (6) teams at Indiana all flamed out in early tournament losses.
If we are going to play a Big Ten team all of the time, it should be Michigan St.
Knight is a jerk
Alford is a bigger jerk, but they’re our jerks.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
by JustAJ on Dec 8, 2011 12:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Understood.
.
I still wish he would have put his hands on that official at the 2:45 mark.
Knight was about to get jacked.
.
Or Ohio State
I’d love to start a series with them. Matta is a great recruiter and they always have fine talent.
Not related to UK, of course,
but Pujols to the Angels? Ug. Makes me sad, but I’m glad we didn’t pay a 31 year old player $250 million+ for 10 years.
Go Cats and go Cards (St. Louis, of course).
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
--O.W.
stupid
they’re going to pay him 25 million a year for his production at age 42? Completely asinine and a smart move by the Cards to bow out gracefully in that race.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
My thoughts exactly.
The Cards got eleven incredibly productive years from him on the cheap, including 2 World Series. He deserves to be paid, but I’m glad the Cards didn’t go there. It’s a shame Albert didn’t take the Stan Musial or Mark McGwuire route and stick with the Cards for less money than others would pay, but I can’t fault him.
Now the Cards have some money to play with.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
--O.W.
Kent Sterling (remember him?) just compared Pujols leaving St. Louis to 9/11
Dayman, Fighter of the Nightman, Champion of the Sun
He hurts the image of idiots everywhere.
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
Ridiculous.
Also, if you take a peek at the story on his front page, he uses Cal’s name in the same sentence as Bernie Fine and Joe Paterno in referencing “wrongs” in sports. He goes on to say that Saturday’s game is about the “right way” (IU) vs. the “wrong way” (UK). And, I’m not joking, he says that “Indiana Basketball has always been about winning the right way.”
Whatever.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
--O.W.
Thanks for a link. '-)
I didn’t click it for that reason.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
More from Sterling.
The caption under a picture of Cal reads:
“Kentucky coach John Calipari laughs at a man who wonders why Kentucky is so eager to turn its basketball program into a de facto failed community college.”
What a turd.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
--O.W.
The 1975 game was the only basketball game I've ever watched while physically in the State of Indiana
Was attending the Sweet Sixteen and staying at a motel in New Albany. We were a little worried we were carrying on so when UK won! Thought we might draw some adverse attention, but I think shock was the general Hoosier reaction.
The 1975 NCAA game was one of the all-time great victories for the Wildcats
But not so focused on was the near upset the following year, which would have been IU’s only blemish on an undefeated season. UK led in Freedom Hall with IU taking a last second shot. The shot missed, and Kent Benson got a hand on it , knocking the ball straight up in the air. It fell through the hoop at the buzzer resulting in overtime. IU went on to win by 8 or 9 in the OT.
1976 game was an all-time great also
That 1976 game in Freedom Hall was a classic. I have never been in a basketball crowd anywhere involving any team that was as intense as that crowd. The UK fans smelled blood and the IU fans wanted revenge for Dayton 1975.
"He still carries a lunch bucket. What's up with that?"
by BlueCollarMan on Dec 8, 2011 9:41 PM EST up reply actions
Alford was always a whiner...
Best buddy was attending IU during that time frame and watched a few games at Assembly Hall when I was up visiting with him. At one of the post game dorm bashes is where I first heard the statement “Pull your skirt down, your panties are showing” applied to a male of the species. ’Course, it was preceded by “Hey Alford,…”! He always thought he was something special…
If your wings don't sweep....
it's the same reason he got run out of Iowa
they hate him up there.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
IU fans are for the most part...
pretty annoying. You barely hear a peep out of them for 5 years, but once they signed Zeller they won’t shut up. I tell them UK fans would be bummed by only one top 10 recruit. We demand at least 3!
Hoosier fans seem to always grasp at straws to put us UK fans down. The “Cal is a crook” thing gets a lot of mileage. Hmmm, those in glass houses…
Also I get the “IU doesn’t recruit one-and-dones.” Nope, they CAN’T recruit them. Anyone who says they don’t want a John Wall of Anthony Davis or DeMarcus Cousins on their team is braindead.
FYI, I live in Indianapolis, grew up in southern Indiana, and had to put up with a lot of crap back in the 80’s. So I’m gonna enjoy our dominance.
by cat stevie on Dec 8, 2011 1:33 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Eric Gordon says, "Hello."
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 1:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Gordon is the one IU guy I like
I used to seem him at the Jewish Community Center all the time when I had a membership. Apparently he grew up across the street from it.
of course you barely hear a peep out of them for 5 years
what was there to crow about? Sampson left the program in shambles and Crean had one returning player (a walk-on) when he signed up for the job. The uphill battle this program has had to face on the basketball, public relations and recruiting front has been monumental. Cody Zeller signified the likely ending of that era in Indiana basketball history. Context is very important when discussing the Hoosiers’ last half decade. Dogging on fans reserved nature the last couple years (yet still being a top ten attendance program every year) is like harassing Kentucky football fans for not talking more shit. You only talk smack when the program can back it up, otherwise you look like an idiot.
The Cal is a crook argument has some legs. The dude has coached in his first Final Four three different times. IU has paid for their sins, there’s a lot of smoke that says Cal may have some skeletons in his own closet.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
UK suffered much worse sanctions
And recovered much faster.
I’m just saying that IU fans seem VERY bandwagonesque. I think a lot of them jumped ship to Butler and have quickly jumped back to IU during Butler’s rebuilding year.
but in their sanctions they weren't reduced to one returning player
1. Uno. Einz. Who was a walk-on. How the hell do you sell that program to anyone? I guarantee the team you play on is going to be terrible for four years, but you’ll get lots of playing time! Plus Sampson left the program riddled with drug accusations, poor grades and a broken athletic department. Indiana literally started their program with less than most division II programs. A brand new AD, an old gym and a name were all Crean had to go on. The fact that they’re playing the way they are this year is a testament to his efforts. They’re a year ahead of schedule.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
I hope you guys learn just enough
from the game Saturday to propel you to a marquis win over Ohio State. That is as much as you are gonna get out of me. :))
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
I have to disagree.
Bandwagon jumpers happen across all sports and all programs so I won"t deny that we have our fair share. However, the attendance at Assembly Hall even in the worst of times was still remarkably high and that’s a testament to the loyalty of all the true IU fans.
It might seem like a lot of IU fans jumped ship to Butler but in reality it would be ridiculous for all Hoosier to NOT root for Butler. We weren’t in the tournament and Butler is a local team with the same values and type of players as IU. What were we gonna do, root for Duke to win the championship two years ago? Helllllls to the no!
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 8, 2011 2:22 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 2 recs
Good point
I think the entire BBN became Butler fans for that game too. I know I did.
by Acdixon on Dec 9, 2011 9:49 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I am more likely to give some
legs to the argument that Cal might have been a crook. He doesn’t need players with marginal backgrounds anymore. I think UK’s compliance structure is keeping us on the right track. If Bobby Knight can reform his bad habits then Cal can…. wait, I am arguing against my own point! ;)
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
It is rec'd, not flagged.
System has been showing it that way until we refresh the page. No worries.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Comment
Just wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed the fans of other schools coming over for some discussion of late. We’ve had Vol fans, Card fans, Red Storm fans, and now Hoosier fans just in the last little bit that I can remember. Seems like we’ve had more of it this year. It really adds to the fan experience for me. Being Kentucky born and raised means all the people I know are either UK fans or fans of other programs out of spite for the UK fans that surround them. To get perspective from honest-to-goodness fans of other schools is pretty neat.
Thanks to Glenn for maintaining the kind of site other fans feel free to visit. Thanks to my fellow posters for treating them well (albeit with a healthy dose of good-natured ribbing). Thanks to those fans for stopping by and being rationale and level-headed (i.e. not coming over to start a fight). And thank God I was born in Kentucky!
by Acdixon on Dec 8, 2011 2:04 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Don't forget that
there were a couple of UNC fans that visited as well. I agree with everything you said. It is good to have fresh blood in here from time to time to keep things lively. If anyone wants the opposite experience just go to Card Chronicle. You would be treated better jumping into the Amazon river with a school of piranhas.
I am all for people expressing their opinions, as long as they back them up with facts.
oh trust me
mosey on over to our rivals message board and I’m sure you’d get the treatment you’re looking for.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
To my Sea of Blue brothers and sisters,
if you’ve not made it over to The Crimson Quarry (another SB Nation production), do yourself a favor and visit. As pleasant and as informative as you’ll find. And you just might learn something about IU basketball! A few friends and I have been playing with their heads this past week, being kind and friendly and self-effacing. You know, confuse the enemy stuff. It’s working; a few of them seem disoriented. We could use some reinforcements, though, so take a look.
I've always had more animosity for IU than even UL.
I had an abject hatred of Bobby Knight (still do), didn’t mind Denny Crum, liked to party in Louisville (open later and on Sundays!) and distrusted anyone from north of the Mason-Dixon line. It’s a shame their program went in the crapper, I always looked forward to the games with IU and when UK, IU, Louisville and Notre Dame would have their double headers it was incredible basketball.
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. - Ambrose Bierce
Loved those games too...
Great hoops, but a crappy fan environment. The Hoosier Dome is no place to watch roundball unless you scored really great tickets.
If your wings don't sweep....
I had great seats for all of them.
Easy chair, beer close by, no line in the men’s room and instant replay (although HD wasn’t around yet).
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. - Ambrose Bierce
Rub it in, will ya??
Couple of times was down on the first level of seating, but a couple of others was in the ionosphere! Just us and few stray pigeons. ’Course, the good thing about that area was that the lines at the whizzer were pretty short…
If your wings don't sweep....
UK women vs. Duke tonight
If someone out there finds a live feed on the internet, please let me know. Hate to wait until 10 for the tape delay on fssn.
If someone thinks the IU games should go
just take a look at the number of posts in this thread for a mid-week prelude to the game.
by jdogblue on Dec 8, 2011 7:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Kent Sterling
I hope UK thrashes IU if only to make Bobby Knights skin crawl and Kent Sterling’s mouth remain shut for another year…great theater?? I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that since 1990 UK has had no incidents (other than Enes) with the NCAA and IU has lost two coaches who have had moral issues and another with a penchant for whining (oh wait, all three of them whine)…eeek…I love that IU still views themselves as “doing it the right way” (even with all of the NCAA violations and an early exit into the NBA by the one player they were fortunate enough to recruit there)…morality play..??? No…it’s basketball stupid…and from my vantage point, Coach Cal has done fine by playing by the rules given him by the NCAA…apparently the last two IU coaches didn’t…and don’t even ask me about Puerto Rico and Booby Knight
AMEN BROTHER.
My cousin’s husband has been all over me this year talking about how much smarter the IU players are than UK. Just because Booby Knight says something, it does not make it true: Brandon Knight-60 college credits after 2 semesters. John Wall, 3.5 GPA college student.
Not that it matters… The insinuation is that UK takes questionable kids. Kids that somehow don’t qualify academically. The NCAA clears these players. And IU is not Harvard, their academic standards are no higher than ours.
It’s a mighty high horse a lot of these fans ride…
It won't shut Sterling's mouth.
It’s held permanently open by his shoe.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
It would be hilarious
to have Knight broadcast the game. I’d pay top money to hear him call a UK romp.
“Oh, this is the biggest one I ever had. You hear that Elizabeth? I’m coming to join you honey.”
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. - Ambrose Bierce
Ahh, revisiting with the Indiana crowd ... great read ... I was waiting for the guy from NFL films to come out of the screen ....
I like to watch the Knight chair throwing incident – I remember watching it live … it’s still one of my favorite memories of old iron ass. Even today, Knight is still a pompous ass. I guess no discussion of IU basketball would be complete without mentioning Isiah Thomas. Really pissed Knight off when he left early for the NBA and a HOF career with the Pistons.
kentucky suxxxxxxxx trolllololollll
Seriously, let’s get this game started. Like now. I am sick of waiting.
Real question: how many of you got tix to the game tomorrow or know of KY fans who got tix? Two of my buddies sold theirs for EXORBITANT prices to who I imagine are KY fans so I know it won’t be a pure sea of red. Just wondering what percentage of KY you think we’ll see. 5? 10?
"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James
by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Dec 9, 2011 12:32 PM EST via mobile reply actions
We'll get there.
It’s going to be a great one. I can hardly wait.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Coming from a UK fan living in IU land, I freaking love this rivalry.
I cannot wait to watch that game tomorrow. I work at a sports bar and I will be in major opposition because the IU fans will be there in drones and I will be proudly wearing my UK hat while ranting and raving along with the IU fans. They will probably hate me but still tip me lol. I was born in Indiana with a father from Kentucky. I had Purdue fans for friends and IU fans for friends with their love of Calbert Cheney , Alan Henderson and Damon Bailey or Glen Robinson, Conzo Martin, and Brian Cardinal. I found Bob Knight to be mean and scary as a child and I thought that Gene Keady was old and creepy looking. Then Jamal Mashburn came to light and I had finally found my team, I was not pushed there by my father because he never really cared much about college basketball as far as I could tell, he liked the Celtics in the NBA but again basketball was not his favorite. So I fall in love with UK basketball because of Jamal Mashburn undoubtedly also found my hatred for Duke all in one tournament. Point being is all my friends that are IU fans have always poked at me for being from here and loving the Wildcats, I have been called a bandwagoner for 19 years lol and I just don’t get it. So I always love it when UK takes it to IU. Go Big Blue!
by ritomase on Dec 9, 2011 12:33 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
What a great story. Thanks for sharing.
Welcome to ASoB.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Do you think they would be mad if I posted this same piece on their site.
I can troll too Mr. 2 decades ago.
Living in Indiana...
you would think IU was ranked 2 and us 1. This is truly their Superbowl. They HATE us here. I have a feeling most UK fans see this as maybe slightly ratcheted up pre-conference game. It’s hard to generate much hate for Indiana because they have sadly been irrelevant for the most part of the last 20 years…
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