Indiana University Athletics
Saturday, December 13
Lexington, Ky.
7:30 PM
Indiana University
at
Kentucky
It’s Back – Riveting Games Highlighted IU-Kentucky Basketball Rivalry
12/13/2025 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Remember when Indiana's Christian Watford shocked the college basketball world?
Remember when the Hoosiers' Damon Bailey did the same thing?
Remember when the Indiana-Kentucky basketball rivalry was must-see action on a national scale, powerhouse programs doing powerhouse things while drawing huge crowds and television ratings amid compelling drama?
After a 15-year regular-season absence, the excitement is back. The first of a four-game series begins Saturday night when the Hoosiers (8-2), coming off a blowout home victory over Penn State, and the Wildcats (6-4), coming off a dominating home win over NC Central, meet at Lexington's Rupp Arena.
"I think it's great for both programs, great for college basketball," IU coach Darian DeVries says. "It's something both programs are excited about, both of our fan bases are excited about. These are great non-conference games we want to be a part of and play."
These teams haven't played on a campus site since 2011, when the Hoosiers stunned the top-ranked Wildcats 73-72 on Watford's last-second, game-winning 3-pointer at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. They haven't played anywhere since the 2016 NCAA tourney second round, which IU also won.
"It's a great series," DeVries says. "I hope we can continue this forever."
IU trails the all-time series 32-25 and is 3-10 in Lexington. For years, the games were played in Indianapolis at what was then known as the Hoosier Dome (later changed to the RCA Dome), the home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, and drew huge crowds approaching 40,000.
The Watford shot capped a huge turnaround for the Hoosier program, which had been rocked by the NCAA violations. IU entered the game 8-0. It would go on to win its first 12 games and reach the NCAA tourney Sweet Sixteen, where it lost in a rematch to the to the No. 1 Wildcats, 102-90. Kentucky, led by forward Anthony Davis, went on to win the national championship.
One of the most memorable IU victories in Indianapolis was the December of 1993 upset over then No. 1 Kentucky and coach Rick Pitino. The Hoosiers, who had won the Big Ten and reached the Elite Eight the previous season, but had graduated standouts such as Calbert Cheaney (still the Big Ten career scoring leader), Greg Graham, and Chris Reynolds, had opened the year with a 75-71 loss at Butler a week earlier.
Led by Bailey, who had 29 points and scored IU's final 11 points, they won 96-84. Bailey memorably told his teammates just before tipoff that "we've gone through too much to lose this game."
Bailey made the Sports Illustrated cover for his performance – "Hoosier Hero. Damon Bailey powers Indiana past No. 1 Kentucky."
This will be the Hoosiers' fourth marquee non-conference game of the season. They've beaten Marquette at Chicago's United Center and Kansas State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and lost to Louisville at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Beyond the Kentucky series, DeVries says he wants to continue to schedule strong non-conference opponents to boost Big Ten and NCAA tourney prospects.
"You have to find some of those marquee games and quality opponents to get you ready for Big Ten play," DeVries says. "That's No. 1. You want to get on the road, have home games, and neutral-site games. They're all good.
"Neutral-site games give you a conference tournament feel, a NCAA tourney feel. Those are the types of games we want to be part of. You'll see more neutral-site games for that reason. You also have to have some home games for fans and for budget reasons."
This will be IU's second true road game of the season. It lost at Minnesota 73-64 earlier this month.
"You never know how you'll play the first time you go on the road," DeVries says. "We have a new group and it didn't go the way we wanted.
"On the road, you have to have a very tough-minded mindset. Make sure your group is really connected to all the details and little things you need to do to be successful. We didn't do a lot of those things at Minnesota. A lot of little things added up to the outcome we got.
"We understand the things we need to do to be more successful this time around."
IU will enter the game with renewed confidence from its Tuesday night 113-72 win over Penn State. Guard Lamar Wilkerson's record-setting 44-point effort against the Nittany Lions at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall made him the only NCAA Division I or NBA player in the last 30 years to score 40-plus points and to make 10- or more 3-pointers in less than 25 minutes.
It was the most points anyone has ever scored at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and the most a Hoosier has scored in a Big Ten home game since Jimmy Rayl had 44 points against Wisconsin in 1962 at the Fieldhouse.
Kentucky has struggled against strong competition, with losses to top-20 teams Gonzaga (94-59), North Carolina (67-64), Michigan State (83-66), and Louisville (96-88). Defensive inconsistency has been a big concern.
"The biggest thing for them," DeVries says, "is in the games they've played well, they scored easily. In the games they struggled, they haven't shot it very well. But they have a good shooting team.
"Some of the guys who shot well last season haven't shot it as well. I'm sure as the season goes on, some of those numbers will come back to the norm."
The Wildcats have 11 players averaging at least 16 minutes a game. They have five averaging in double figures -- guard Otega Oweh (14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds. 1.6 steals), guard Denzel Aberdeen (12.4 points), forward Mouhamed Dioubate (11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds), guard Collin Chandler (11.2 points, 23 three-pointers) and center Malachi Moreno (10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds).
Kentucky averages 85.5 points and outrebounds opponents by 8.8 a game.
"They are an incredibly talented, gifted offensive team," DeVries says. "They can hurt you in a lot of ways. With their three-point shooting, they can become really scary."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Remember when Indiana's Christian Watford shocked the college basketball world?
Remember when the Hoosiers' Damon Bailey did the same thing?
Remember when the Indiana-Kentucky basketball rivalry was must-see action on a national scale, powerhouse programs doing powerhouse things while drawing huge crowds and television ratings amid compelling drama?
After a 15-year regular-season absence, the excitement is back. The first of a four-game series begins Saturday night when the Hoosiers (8-2), coming off a blowout home victory over Penn State, and the Wildcats (6-4), coming off a dominating home win over NC Central, meet at Lexington's Rupp Arena.
"I think it's great for both programs, great for college basketball," IU coach Darian DeVries says. "It's something both programs are excited about, both of our fan bases are excited about. These are great non-conference games we want to be a part of and play."
These teams haven't played on a campus site since 2011, when the Hoosiers stunned the top-ranked Wildcats 73-72 on Watford's last-second, game-winning 3-pointer at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. They haven't played anywhere since the 2016 NCAA tourney second round, which IU also won.
"It's a great series," DeVries says. "I hope we can continue this forever."
IU trails the all-time series 32-25 and is 3-10 in Lexington. For years, the games were played in Indianapolis at what was then known as the Hoosier Dome (later changed to the RCA Dome), the home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, and drew huge crowds approaching 40,000.
The Watford shot capped a huge turnaround for the Hoosier program, which had been rocked by the NCAA violations. IU entered the game 8-0. It would go on to win its first 12 games and reach the NCAA tourney Sweet Sixteen, where it lost in a rematch to the to the No. 1 Wildcats, 102-90. Kentucky, led by forward Anthony Davis, went on to win the national championship.
One of the most memorable IU victories in Indianapolis was the December of 1993 upset over then No. 1 Kentucky and coach Rick Pitino. The Hoosiers, who had won the Big Ten and reached the Elite Eight the previous season, but had graduated standouts such as Calbert Cheaney (still the Big Ten career scoring leader), Greg Graham, and Chris Reynolds, had opened the year with a 75-71 loss at Butler a week earlier.
Led by Bailey, who had 29 points and scored IU's final 11 points, they won 96-84. Bailey memorably told his teammates just before tipoff that "we've gone through too much to lose this game."
Bailey made the Sports Illustrated cover for his performance – "Hoosier Hero. Damon Bailey powers Indiana past No. 1 Kentucky."
This will be the Hoosiers' fourth marquee non-conference game of the season. They've beaten Marquette at Chicago's United Center and Kansas State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and lost to Louisville at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Beyond the Kentucky series, DeVries says he wants to continue to schedule strong non-conference opponents to boost Big Ten and NCAA tourney prospects.
"You have to find some of those marquee games and quality opponents to get you ready for Big Ten play," DeVries says. "That's No. 1. You want to get on the road, have home games, and neutral-site games. They're all good.
"Neutral-site games give you a conference tournament feel, a NCAA tourney feel. Those are the types of games we want to be part of. You'll see more neutral-site games for that reason. You also have to have some home games for fans and for budget reasons."
This will be IU's second true road game of the season. It lost at Minnesota 73-64 earlier this month.
"You never know how you'll play the first time you go on the road," DeVries says. "We have a new group and it didn't go the way we wanted.
"On the road, you have to have a very tough-minded mindset. Make sure your group is really connected to all the details and little things you need to do to be successful. We didn't do a lot of those things at Minnesota. A lot of little things added up to the outcome we got.
"We understand the things we need to do to be more successful this time around."
IU will enter the game with renewed confidence from its Tuesday night 113-72 win over Penn State. Guard Lamar Wilkerson's record-setting 44-point effort against the Nittany Lions at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall made him the only NCAA Division I or NBA player in the last 30 years to score 40-plus points and to make 10- or more 3-pointers in less than 25 minutes.
It was the most points anyone has ever scored at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and the most a Hoosier has scored in a Big Ten home game since Jimmy Rayl had 44 points against Wisconsin in 1962 at the Fieldhouse.
Kentucky has struggled against strong competition, with losses to top-20 teams Gonzaga (94-59), North Carolina (67-64), Michigan State (83-66), and Louisville (96-88). Defensive inconsistency has been a big concern.
"The biggest thing for them," DeVries says, "is in the games they've played well, they scored easily. In the games they struggled, they haven't shot it very well. But they have a good shooting team.
"Some of the guys who shot well last season haven't shot it as well. I'm sure as the season goes on, some of those numbers will come back to the norm."
The Wildcats have 11 players averaging at least 16 minutes a game. They have five averaging in double figures -- guard Otega Oweh (14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds. 1.6 steals), guard Denzel Aberdeen (12.4 points), forward Mouhamed Dioubate (11.6 points, 5.8 rebounds), guard Collin Chandler (11.2 points, 23 three-pointers) and center Malachi Moreno (10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds).
Kentucky averages 85.5 points and outrebounds opponents by 8.8 a game.
"They are an incredibly talented, gifted offensive team," DeVries says. "They can hurt you in a lot of ways. With their three-point shooting, they can become really scary."
Players Mentioned
Guard
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