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**BREAKING: Indiana-Kentucky basketball series ends**

  • http://kentucky.247sports.com/Article/Kentucky-and-Indiana-wont-play-for-the-44th-consecutive-season-72586

    Kentucky and Indiana have met on the basketball court for 43 consecutive seasons. That streak won't reach 44 after the two schools could not reach a new deal.

    This post was edited by Matt May on 5/3/2012 at 1:18 PM

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    Matt May ●

  • whistlingSomeone called it fairly early on.

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    It smells like microwaved homeless people in here.

    Warmother51

  • Two things:

    1. You would still have a student allotment at a neutral site. It does not affect them as greatly as Indiana is saying.

    2. I don't like ending it on a losing note...even though we beat them in the tournament.

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    Twitter - @JEdwar247

    Josh Edwards ●

  • Barnhart said after Matthew Mitchell presser just now that Calipari still working on possibility of continuing North Carolina series next season but it's not likely.

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    Matt May ●

  • I think it's a big loss for college basketball but I can't say I blame either side for their position. Should have figured out compromise of playing a 4-year deal with each team getting a home game and then two neutral site games.

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    Matt May ●

  • I think it's a shame, especially with the prospects of losing the UNC series as well.

    Rupp season ticket holders are in danger of seeing the home schedule consist of nothing but lightweights.

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    E-mail: JDRUM@247SPORTS.COM Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JDrumUK

    Jeff Drummond

  • I think people are underestimating the fact in all this that Cal and Crean really don't enjoy having to play one another.

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    Chris Fisher ●

  • Matt May said...

    I think it's a big loss for college basketball but I can't say I blame either side for their position. Should have figured out compromise of playing a 4-year deal with each team getting a home game and then two neutral site games.

    The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is a case where pals Cal & Crean just didn't want to play each other in such a high-stakes game for each fan base. That's one where there's just a ton of pressure to win on both sides. It's hard to convince me that some sort of compromise just couldn't be reached.

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    Jeff Drummond

  • Jeff Drummond said...

    The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is a case where pals Cal & Crean just didn't want to play each other in such a high-stakes game for each fan base. That's one where there's just a ton of pressure to win on both sides. It's hard to convince me that some sort of compromise just couldn't be reached.

    Probably some truth in that. And Calipari has never made secret of fact he loathes non-conference road games. He would love for all their games to be neutral site to prepare for NCAA Tournament setting. The wild nature of the ending at Indiana this year also gave him another reason to cite, even though I think that's a bit of a copout.

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    Matt May ●

  • That sucks, but I'm sure UK can find a suitable replacement. (Hopefully)

    Keep Calm & Stoops On..

    _Mike_ ●

  • Story updated with some of Barnhart's comments

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    Matt May ●

  • _Mike_ said...

    That sucks, but I'm sure UK can find a suitable replacement. (Hopefully)

    This, i hope.

    But with Crean, Indiana is legit contender for NT for a long time.

    With UNC and Indiana, that's 2 teams that could likely be in top 10 teams every year for foreseeable future.

    Then you add that championship classic or whatever, with michigan state, Duke, and Kansas. UK could be looking at playing 3 teams around top 10 every year.

    That's a hellish OoC schedule, also you add in BE team.

    I LIKE THAT. hopefully after this year they can work something out.

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    Wildmoon

  • _Mike_ said...

    That sucks, but I'm sure UK can find a suitable replacement. (Hopefully)

    There is no suitable replacement IMO. It's border states. Red vs. Blue. Big 10 vs SEC. North vs. South. Tradition vs. Tradition. No reason to throw this series away. no

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    Jeff Drummond

  • UK fans for years have made fun of Duke (deservedly so) for playing a cupcake schedule where the Devils never face anyone of consequence on the road. That's the direction the Cats seem to be heading now. I'm sure a lot of folks will be fine with it as long as it yields championship results, but it's still ironic.

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    Jeff Drummond

  • Kind of amazing, the uproar among fans at midseason when Calipari suggested UK might get rid of 1 rivalry nonconference game. Now 1 is gone and another is going out the door. Sucks for the big-bucks Rupp Arena ticket holders, you get jack squat to watch from your seats this season.

    JHB4UK

  • Jeff Drummond said...

    UK fans for years have made fun of Duke (deservedly so) for playing a cupcake schedule where the Devils never face anyone of consequence on the road. That's the direction the Cats seem to be heading now. I'm sure a lot of folks will be fine with it as long as it yields championship results, but it's still ironic.

    That's because it just so damn easy (and enjoyable) tp make fun of Duke whenever you get the chance Jeff. Lol.

    Honestly, I don't want to play the most brutal non conf schedule. Those cupcakes are crucial. Give me 2 or 3 marquee OOC games and I'm good.

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    tommy

  • Jeff Drummond said...

    UK fans for years have made fun of Duke (deservedly so) for playing a cupcake schedule where the Devils never face anyone of consequence on the road. That's the direction the Cats seem to be heading now. I'm sure a lot of folks will be fine with it as long as it yields championship results, but it's still ironic.

    That's true, but we have to wait and see.

    There is nothing saying we don't add good teams just because we dropped Indiana.

    It's true that Indiana can't be replaced, ESPECIALLY since they are now back. However Cal can add few good teams. Likely hood of over scheduling was getting pretty big.

    Indiana, Louisville, UNC, Duke/Michigan St/Kansas, and BE team.

    In 14 games, at least 4 of them are top 25 and 5th could easily be top 25. Then you add SEC teams. Missouri, Florida, Tennessee (future), Vandy (future), and maybe one or 2 other teams can be top 50 teams. That's brutal scheduling.

    However, my stance is that I like scheduling tough games. In fact I would love to add Arizona/UCLA from west coast every year for home and home. But i can see Cal's point. With young team, 2-3 early losses can lead to a shipwreck of a season.

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    Wildmoon

  • UK fans for years have made fun of Duke (deservedly so) for playing a cupcake schedule where the Devils never face anyone of consequence on the road. That's the direction the Cats seem to be heading now. I'm sure a lot of folks will be fine with it as long as it yields championship results, but it's still ironic.

    Bingo, I think losing this series was a big mistake. I understand the neutral site argument but any series is better with a home and home series IMO. If safety was a concern why couldn't IU and UK officials beef up security for the events? If UK cannot get a legit team to play instead of IU and with UNC being up in the air; then the OOC schedule will not prepare the young teams that UK will inevitably have with all the one and done players. Having a pretty tough schedule has helped all of the UK teams so far under Calipari. You may not like to play each other but it would be beneficial for both schools to play one another.

    Let the boys play!

    BigBlueMook

  • Wildmoon said...

    That's true, but we have to wait and see.

    There is nothing saying we don't add good teams just because we dropped Indiana.

    It's true that Indiana can't be replaced, ESPECIALLY since they are now back. However Cal can add few good teams. Likely hood of over scheduling was getting pretty big.

    Indiana, Louisville, UNC, Duke/Michigan St/Kansas, and BE team.

    In 14 games, at least 4 of them are top 25 and 5th could easily be top 25. Then you add SEC teams. Missouri, Florida, Tennessee (future), Vandy (future), and maybe one or 2 other teams can be top 50 teams. That's brutal scheduling.

    However, my stance is that I like scheduling tough games. In fact I would love to add Arizona/UCLA from west coast every year for home and home. But i can see Cal's point. With young team, 2-3 early losses can lead to a shipwreck of a season.

    I don't argue the toughness part. You want to be careful not to overdo things, and UK is on the verge of that with a young team next year. But great lengths should have been taken to avoid this IMHO. (Perhaps they were.)

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    E-mail: JDRUM@247SPORTS.COM Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JDrumUK

    Jeff Drummond

  • but more i think about it.

    I think Cal is about marketing. If we think like that his neutral / neutral has big bonus for him.

    Why play at Indiana to gain 0 marketing. It's the same reason Crean playing at UK will gain 0 recruiting value.

    He knows he has strong hold on Kentucky recruit, but by playing indiana in places like lucas oil stadium, he gains a bit of indiana market. Also, prepare them for FF situation. Also, he said Louisville as other location. Where, lol, they have Cardinals.

    There is nothing to lose for Coach Cal by doing this neutral to neutral. I can see Coach Crean saying "No" to this. Coach Cal is basically trying to screw both Crean and Pitino.

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    Wildmoon

  • Stupid... that's all I can say about it.

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    JawJacker


  • U K DU KE
    Season Non-Conf Season Non-Conf
    2012 26 39 22 16
    2011 14 14 27 64
    2010 50 90 3 15
    2009 76 160 13 52
    2008 59 176 12 62
    2007 1 9 3 58
    2006 9 54 6 35
    2005 22 82 6 96
    2004 19 85 5 38
    2003 8 21 42 81

    Average 28.4 73.0 13.9 51.7
    Std Dev 24.8 58.2 12.8 26.3
    UK lower 3 4 7 6

    Per Pomeroy Strength of Schedule values for the last 10 seasons, UK has played a tougher overall schedule 3 times, and a tougher non-conference schedule 4 times. Hardly the basis for UK fans to ridicule the weakness of Duke's schedule. Even if you remove the 2 seasons with Gillispie from that mix, the ratio of tougher overall and non-conference schedules are 3/5 and 4/4 in the remaining 8 seasons.

    To me, those are about of equal difficulty.

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    http://bigbluefans4uk.com

    TheProfessor

  • Wildmoon said...

    but more i think about it.

    I think Cal is about marketing. If we think like that his neutral / neutral has big bonus for him.

    Why play at Indiana to gain 0 marketing. It's the same reason Crean playing at UK will gain 0 recruiting value.

    He knows he has strong hold on Kentucky recruit, but by playing indiana in places like lucas oil stadium, he gains a bit of indiana market. Also, prepare them for FF situation. Also, he said Louisville as other location. Where, lol, they have Cardinals.

    There is nothing to lose for Coach Cal by doing this neutral to neutral. I can see Coach Crean saying "No" to this. Coach Cal is basically trying to screw both Crean and Pitino.

    I don't know if I agree with 0 marketing playing at IU. That's always going to be a premier national TV game. You can argue it helps IU more than UK, but both benefit from a marketing standpoint.

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    E-mail: JDRUM@247SPORTS.COM Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JDrumUK

    Jeff Drummond

  • I really see great points on both sides of the argument from IU and UK. Its a shame that the series has ended for now, but then again, I can appreciate UK or IU (or both) drawing a line in the sand from a business standpoint, and make no mistake, this is largely a business situation.

    I'M TRAPPED IN A GLASS BOX OF EMOTION!!!

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    tommy

  • Crean screwed this up with how he prepped the fans for the UK game. Contrast it to how Tubby and Mitch set up Pitino's return to Lexington. I am fine with getting IU off the schedule after what happened last year. What bothers me is losing the UNC series. Mitch should have never let that one go. He must have been too busy working on non-revenue sports to keep this on his desk.

    zcats

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