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On December 10, 2011, Indiana University’s Christian Watford hit a three point shot at the buzzer to send the Hoosiers to a 73-72 victory over the #1 ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats. ESPN dubbed it the shot of the year in college basketball and, as a result, it was put on an almost constant replaying look on all of the Worldwide Leader’s platforms. With that shot, the Hoosiers gave the Cats their only loss during the 2011-12 regular season and, for a moment, gave the Candy Striped fanatics a glimmer of hope that head coach Tom Crean had returned IU back to the upper echelon of college basketball.
The Cats and Hoosiers met once again that season in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This time, however, there would be no last minute shots. There would be no Hoosier Hysteria. There would be no rushing of the court. On the way to the school’s eighth National Championship, Kentucky defeated Indiana 102-90. Since the moment that Watford’s shot went through the net, head coach John Calipari has lead the Cats to the 2012 National Title and a 2014 NCAA Runner-Up finish. Sure, the Cats lost in the first round of the 2013 NIT, but in 2014, the Hoosiers weren’t even invited to the NIT. The current fortunes of the two programs couldn’t be more different.
In the wake of the 2012 season, Coach Cal and Coach Crean got involved in, essentially, a pissing contest over continuing the longstanding Kentucky vs. Indiana hardwood series. The two college basketball bluebloods had met every year since the 1969 season. During that time, the teams combined for 7 NCAA Titles, multiple Final Four appearances and dozens of All Americans. Many fans of college basketball bemoaned the fact that a great rivalry came to such an abrupt halt because the two sides couldn’t see eye to eye on where the game should be played. IU’s Crean favored playing the game in home gyms, while UK’s Calipari favored playing the game in neutral, larger arena settings. While it’s sad that the rivalry ended, it’s clear that one team needs this game more than the other and it’s not the team hailing from Lexington, KY.
For the 2014-15 season, the Kentucky Wildcats, in the non-conference portion of the schedule, will play Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, UCLA, Providence and intrastate rival Louisville. Those are six primetime matchups. The Jayhawks, Tar Heels and Cardinals have each won titles in the last five years and look to be in the hunt next season. Texas and Providence are perennial NCAA Tournament teams. And the spotlight will always be bright when UCLA brings their 11 NCAA titles (#1 all time) on the court with Kentucky’s 8 (#2). While the Wildcats typically have one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the country, this upcoming season could prove to be the most daunting ever. So, where would the Hoosiers fit in?
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Taking the Indiana name off the resume’ and there’s no reason the Cats should play them. The history is undeniable of the rivalry is undeniable, but right now the Cats have opportunities to play better teams with just as much national “juice” as the once mighty Hoosiers had. Kentucky vs. North Carolina and Kentucky vs. Kansas have just has much historical interest and even more current interest than the Hoosiers can provide. And with games against Duke, Michigan State and Ohio State slated for upcoming seasons, it looks as if the Hoosiers simply won’t be able to find a spot on Kentucky’s schedule. To paraphrase SNL’s Wayne and Garth: Indiana isn’t worthy.
And it’s sad. There have been great games between the two schools. Love him or loathe him, and I lean toward the latter, Bob Knight made the rivalry interesting. Even in defeat, Mike Davis had is own memorable moments. I’ll even begrudgingly that Watford’s shot was a great memory of that season. But, for the foreseeable future, it appears that all of the Indiana’s greatness will remain trapped in the past of yesteryear. Nostalgia is just not a reason to keep a rivalry going, especially when one of the participants has better options. Down the road, I’d love to have the Hoosiers back on the Wildcats’ schedule because there are few things better than beating those candy striped warmup wearing chuckleheads from Indiana. Until then, get to work Crean because, right now, you’re not even on the Cats’ level.