It's Good To See Kentucky & Indiana Play Each Other Again

By Jamie H. Vaught

KySportsStyle.com Magazine

When I read or think about Indiana University basketball, I often ponder about legendary coach Bobby Knight.

He was the one who brought IU to its glory days with three NCAA championships.  He was IU. And I still have an old copy of John Feinstein’s controversial 1986 hardcover, A Season on the Brink, featuring the coach in an unflattering light and his team. It was an entertaining read, and Knight didn’t like the book at all.

Former Indiana coach Bobby Knight in 2014 when he was broadcasting a UK game at Rupp Arena. (Photo by Jamie H. Vaught)

After a break of nearly 10 years in the series, it was definitely good to see Indiana and Kentucky clash again this past weekend when Mark Pope’s Wildcats overcame the Hoosiers 72-60 after a slow start at Rupp Arena. Kentucky now leads the series 33-25, including 11-3 in games played in Lexington. Both schools will continue to meet in the next three seasons with the 2026 matchup taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis shortly after Christmas.

As you know, both UK and IU once battled for many years, including the early days of Kentucky coaches Adolph Rupp and Joe B. Hall. There were several memorable UK-IU games that I watched on television or covered in person as a sportswriter.

One of them was in 1975 when Kentucky stunned the unbeaten and top-ranked Hoosiers 92-90 in the NCAA Elite Eight showdown in Dayton. Earlier, during the same season, the Wildcats had dropped to IU 98-74 in Bloomington.

Former Wildcat standout Bob Guyette remembers these two games during his senior year. The 6-foot-9 forward was a three-year starter who averaged 9 points and 6.4 rebounds at UK.

Recalled Guyette many years ago, “The first game was in Bloomington, and we lost by about 15 points (actually 24 points). During that game Bobby Knight and Joe (Hall) got into an argument at the scorer’s table. Bob Knight hit Joe Hall in the back of the head and sent Joe’s glasses flying. As expected, a big commotion ensued.

“Luck would have it that we got to play Indiana again in the regional finals in Dayton, Ohio. The (Kentucky) players were ready but I thought it was the best coaching job by Joe B. Hall in the first four years he coached me. He planned everything down to the smallest detail from the pregame practice, the game itself and the celebration afterwards.”

Many journalists have labeled UK’s win as the “Upset of the Year.”  The Indiana coach, in his 2002 autobiography, Knight: My Story, said his 1974-75 team was the best he has ever had at IU despite capturing three national championships. Hall later said that “was probably the most exciting game I’ve ever been a part of....”

UK went on and played in the Final Four in San Diego when the Cats lost to John Wooden’s UCLA squad in the national finals.

Another favorite memory was when I had a prime media seat behind both teams’ benches at the 2012 NCAA Sweet Sixteen matchup between Kentucky and Indiana in Atlanta. The eventual national champion Kentucky stopped Tom Crean’s team 102-90 with freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s team-high 24 points, including 10 of 10 free throws.

“It was a war, and Indiana played great, and we just happened to play a little bit better,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari moments after that game.

There are other good memories of the rivalry but those two are my favorites. And I’m awfully glad we’re going to see another Kentucky-Indiana showdown next season.

Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books about UK basketball, including newly published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.