A lot of talk over the past couple months has centered on the non-conference schedule, namely what to do with some of the rivalry games that are scheduled each year. Since the SEC has added Missouri and Texas A&M to the fold, those extra games could squeeze out one of the non-conference contests, not to mention it limits what different teams Kentucky could schedule each year. The question is, which rivalry game gets cut, Louisville, Indiana or North Carolina?
Case 1: Louisville
Why keep them on the schedule?
Louisville is arguably Kentucky’s chief rival for many reasons. You could cite the dominance of Kentucky’s popularity across the Commonwealth, including within the city of Louisville itself. You could also point toward the historic rivalry between Joe B. Hall and Denny Crum. You could call out the many closely contested games over the years, or even the personal animosity between current coaches John Calipari and Rick Pitino. You could list all those reasons, but the fact of the matter is, these fan bases HATE each other. Very seldom would you ever see a Kentucky fan be complimentary of Louisville, or vice versa. There’s a deep-seeded, burning hatred these two organizations share with one another. Not to mention it’s become of the biggest rivalries in the nation. ESPN may tell you the biggest rivalry in the county is Duke/UNC, but a real basketball fan would tell you otherwise.
Why take them off?
It’s no secret that the regular season rivalry didn’t recommence until 1983, twenty five years after their last meeting. It all depends on who you ask in terms of why the rivalry ended. Some say that both schools held off the games so that they’d have a rooting interest in each other’s program. Others say that Adolph Rupp ducked “Little Brother” on purpose, not wanting to play them at all. (Which, by the way, is crap.) For whatever reason, the rivalry itself has only been going on for about 29 years in the modern era. That may seem like a long time, but when you look at other storied rivalries, like the aforementioned Duke/UNC, or UCLA/USC or Michigan/Ohio State, it doesn’t even compare.
Chance of being removed from the schedule: 1%. With the bad blood between these two programs, there’d be a near riot if they tried to take it away. Not to mention it makes a ton of money for both programs, not just in ticket sales, but media attention as well.
Case 2: Indiana
Why keep them on the schedule?
A lot of younger fans may not remember, but before the Louisville series recommenced, Indiana was arguably Kentucky’s biggest rival. And what a rivalry they had! They fought not only on the basketball court, but on the sidelines as well. In 1974, while both coaches were arguing a call with the referees, Bob Knight slapped Joe B. Hall in the back of the head, resulting in assistant Lynn Nance nearly mauling Knight right then and there on the sidelines of Assembly Hall. Fifty six games have been played in this storied rivalry, with Kentucky winning thirty two of them.
Why take them off?
Up until Indiana’s 73-72 last minute win this season, there hasn’t been much of a rivalry in the series. In the 13 games played since 2000, Kentucky is 10-3. The average margin of victory in those wins was about 12 points, incuding a 80-41 drubbing in 2003, a 90-73 whooping in 2009 and a 82-61 defeat in 2010. Indiana has improved as of late, but their struggles over the past few years has tarnished the legacy of the rivalry. That’s not even the biggest reason this rivalry may fall by the wayside. Up until 2005, and starting in 1991, these games were played on neutral courts, alternating between Louisville and Indianapolis. This was basically a monetary arrangement, with each “visiting” team getting a bigger share of the gate receipts, and so on. There have been talks about moving these games back to neutral floors, but it appears Indiana officials, including coach Tom Crean, have balked at the suggestion
Chance of being removed from the schedule: 50%. Indiana’s refusal to put the series back on neutral courts could possibly make the decision a lot easier for Kentucky. That’s not to mention that younger fans don’t even remember the heyday of the rivalry, remembering Indiana only as a school Kentucky beats every year.
Case 3: North Carolina
Why keep them on the schedule?
To put it in the simplest terms possible, Kentucky likes to play the best of the best. And more often than not, North Carolina is among the best the NCAA has to offer. Much like Kentucky, they can usually be depended on to field an incredibly talented team, sell a lot of tickets and make a serious push come March. Both team benefit greatly from the competition, as well as the national media exposure. More often than not, this game is featured on national broadcast television. That level of exposure in unbelievably valuable.
Why take them off?
I know we don’t like them, but ask yourself this question: Are North Carolina really rivals? I mean, think about it. We’re not geographically linked like we are with Louisville. We don’t have a long history with one another like we do with Indiana. At the end of the day, we’re playing a really good team. Why not spread some of those games out? Why not schedule a game against Duke? Or Michigan State? Or UCLA? Or Ohio State? Or Cincinnati or Xavier? See what I’m getting at? There’s a LOT of good teams out there, teams we could get the SAME media attention from.
Chance of being removed from the schedule: 75% Out of all three games, this seems like the most likely to be cut. Mainly because there’s no real rivalry, and mainly because they can use an open slot to go against other big teams. If I had to guess, this would be the game that ends up on the cutting room floor.
