8/10/2022 basketball Edit

Dick Vitale says it's a 'no brainer' for IU-Kentucky series to come back

Alec Lasley • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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The Indiana-Kentucky series hasn't resumed since the 'Wat-Shot' back in 2011.

It has been over 10 years since the Indiana and Kentucky men's basketball programs played each other in a series and the talk, both locally and nationally, continues to heat up regarding the series.

The Wildcats last visited Bloomington in 2011 when the 'Wat-Shot' happened, with Christian Watford hitting a buzzer-beater three to take down the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats, 73-72. Kentucky was led by Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist -- both going No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Since then, Kentucky head coach John Calipari has been vocal about not wanting to play a home-and-home series with Indiana, rather at neutral site locations.

Earlier this week, ESPN analyst and college basketball icon Dick Vitale spoke out about the Indiana-Kentucky series on Twitter.

"This is a quality pre conf. matchup btw ⁦@KentuckyMBB⁩ & ⁦@ZagMBB⁩. Now a NO BRAINER ⁦@UKCoachCalipari⁩ needs to get together with ⁦@MikeWoodsonNBA⁩ & they MUST agree that ⁦@IndianaMBB⁩ & KENTUCKY will play!

"It has been too long / TIME has arrived for @UKCoachCalipari⁩⁩ to make ⁦@KentuckyMBB vs ⁦@IndianaMBB⁩ a reality. The alumni / hoop fans/ players/ media all deserve it & the one guy who can get it done is MR JOHN CALIPARI!"

This came on the heels of the announcement that Kentucky and Gonzaga had scheduled a series beginning this season. What was originally planned for a home-and-home series will end up being a neutral site game when Kentucky heads out west to Gonzaga.

"Playing in front of 13K crazy fans in Spokane Arena will be exciting just like it will be in front of 22K fans in Rupp next year," Calipari tweeted. "Anybody that wants us to play in a 6,000-seat facility, wants us to lose! And I get that. I tried to look back and find the last time UK played in a true regular-season road game with 6,000 or fewer fans. I stopped looking after the 70s."

Earlier this summer, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson made it a point to say he wanted the rivalry and series back on the books.

"I'm not going to let it die," Woodson said. "I'm going to stay on his heels about getting the Kentucky-Indiana series back on the table because I just think over the years, man, that was a helluva game. Going to Lexington and them coming down to Bloomington. It might not be Bloomington-Lexington, I don't know. But, however way we can get it done, I'll take it."

Indiana has already added a neutral site game with Arizona in Las Vegas and a home-and-home series with Kansas starting this season. Woodson has also looked into adding a Louisville series to the future schedule.

Indiana and Kentucky have played twice since 2011, both coming in the NCAA Tournament, in 2012 and 2016. Kentucky leads the all-time series 32-25.