BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The last time Indiana and Kentucky faced each other on the hardwood during the regular season was in 2011 when the Hoosiers did the unthinkable and upset the #1 ranked Wildcats at Assembly Hall on a buzzer-beating shot from Christian Watford.
No one knew then that it would be 14 years until the two teams met again in the regular season. They have only played each other twice since then, both times in the NCAA Tournament.
The regular season rivalry was put on the back burner after that game in the 2011 season, which ended up being UK’s only loss that year en route to a National Championship.
This week, UK head coach John Calipari confirmed at SEC Media Days that Indiana and Kentucky are in the final stages of talks to bring the rivalry back. The plan is for the annual series to resume in the 2025 season.
“I’m not going to let it die,” said Indiana head coach Mike Woodson of the IU-UK series back in May. “I just think over the years that was a hell of a game. Going to Lexington and them coming to Bloomington. It might now be Bloomington, Lexington, but however, we can get the game I’ll take it.”
At SEC Media Days, Calipari said it’s up to the administrators of both schools to work out whether the series will be played on a rotating basis between the two campuses or if it will be at neutral sites. Between 1987 and 2005 the game was played at the Hoosier/RCA Dome in Indianapolis and Freedom Hall in Louisville.
For now the parameters of renewing the series are still in limbo, but rest assured the series will resume in three years.
