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Indiana, Kentucky finalize game sites for future 4-game series
By Keith Farner
Published:
Christian Watford memories are still in the memory banks of Kentucky and Indiana fans’ minds, but now both sides will have a chance to make new ones.
Indiana and Kentucky last played a game on campus in 2011, but now the programs have settled on the sites of their future 4-game series.
Dec. 20, 2025 – Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, Lexington, Ky.
Dec. 27, 2026 – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind. (IU home game)
Dec. 18, 2027 – Rupp Arena Central Bank Center, Lexington, Ky.
Dec. 16, 2028 – Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
The teams’ last meeting came when Watford made a 3-point shot on the left wing at the buzzer to beat the No. 1 Wildcats and set off a court storm in Bloomington. Kentucky coach John Calipari has long been hesitant to return the series to Assembly Hall or Rupp Arena. Indiana coach Mike Woodson, conversely, has been in favor of the series coming back, and understands that the sites may not be Bloomington or Lexington, but wants to play regardless.
The series dates back to 1924 and the programs have met 57 times, including every year from 1969 through 2011. From 1992 to 2006 the teams played at neutral sites (Indianapolis and Louisville) with the crowd split roughly 50/50.
Both coaches released statements about the announcement.
“This is a really important rivalry to our fans and the game of college basketball and we’re happy to bring it back,” Calipari said. “Mike and I have been friends for years and I have the utmost respect for him as a coach and as a man. Let’s do this!”
Woodson said: “This is a great day for our program and our fans. Indiana-Kentucky is one of the best rivalries in college basketball, with so many great games over the years. We worked hard to get this done, and I could not be happier to be playing Kentucky once again.”
The programs faced each other in Indianapolis 10 times from 1987-2005 at the Hoosier/RCA Dome, games that featured big-time atmospheres in front of crowds that topped 40,000 people.
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— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) October 3, 2023
The 14-year regular season lapse is the longest in the series since the 2 bluebloods went 21 years between regular season encounters from 1944 to 1965. The teams have met twice since the 2011 game in the NCAA Tournament, with Kentucky claiming a 102-90 win in Atlanta in the 2012 Sweet 16, and IU winning a 73-67 result in the second round of the 2016 NCAA tourney in Des Moines.
Kentucky leads the all-time series, 32-25. Kentucky ranks second all-time with 8 national championships, while Indiana is 4th with 5.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.