The Kentucky vs Indiana basketball series is one of the best in college basketball. The rivalry started out with football in 1893, but basketball got going in 1924. The schools used to play each other alternating each year. Coach Calipari stopped the arrangement after losing to Indiana in 2011 with the #1 ranked Wildcats at the time (they would go on to win the 2012 NCAA Men’s DI Title). Now, the series is back on. The Kentucky vs Indiana basketball schedule starts back up in 2025. We have the details and the past game results for you below.
Why Did the Series with Indiana Stop?
You have to go back to the 2011 Kentucky vs Indiana basketball game to understand why the series got stopped, paused, whatever you want to call it. The game was at Assembly Hall on the Indiana campus. In my experience, that is just a nutty, crazy, awesome basketball environment. It stinks to be the visiting team. Kentucky was ranked #1 going into the game. Coach Cal and the Wildcats lost on a last second three-pointed by Christian Watford…. also called the “Watshot.” This would be the last regular season game between the two teams (planned).
Kentucky would get their revenge in the 2012 Sweet 16 beating the Hoosiers 102-90 going on to win the NCAA Title. After the season, UK Coach Calipari and IU Coach Crean could not come to an agreement on continuing the series. IU wanted to keep the home-and-home arrangement, and UK wanted to play at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. Cal didn’t believe with how young his teams were that it benefited going to small home courts every other year (paraphrasing here). They would benefit more from March Madness to play at large, neutral sites.
Kentucky vs Indiana Basketball Schedule (Men’s)
So, after a 14-year hiatus, the Kentucky vs Indiana basketball series will start back up in 2025. This was one of the last big schedule moves that Cal did in late 2023. There is a four-game agreement in place on a home-and-home basis. The first game will be at Rupp Arena in 2025. Who knows though…maybe Coach Pope can get the game going a year earlier for us in the 2024-25 schedule? That would be super awesome, but probably even too hard for the “Pope” to pull off.
- 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.
Kentucky vs Indiana Basketball Game Results (1924-1986)
UK leads the all time series against Indiana 32-25. We have the past results, date, score, and who won the game for you going back to 1924 below. We’ve split the results out some so the list is easier to read as well. If you want to check out each team’s schedule for the 2024-25 regular season, here you go. Indiana schedule, Kentucky schedule
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | December 18, 1924 | Alumni Gymnasium | Indiana | 34–23 |
| 2 | January 5, 1926 | Men’s Gymnasium | Indiana | 34–23 |
| 3 | December 21, 1926 | Alumni Gymnasium | Indiana | 38–19 |
| 4 | February 4, 1928 | Men’s Gymnasium | Indiana | 48–29 |
| 5 | December 30, 1940 | Municipal Auditorium | Indiana | 48–45 |
| 6 | December 23, 1942 | Jefferson County Armory | Indiana | 58–52 |
| 7 | December 11, 1943 | Jefferson County Armory | Kentucky | 66–41 |
| 8 | December 16, 1944 | Jefferson County Armory | Kentucky | 61–43 |
| 9 | December 18, 1965 | Alumni Gymnasium | Kentucky | 91–56 |
| 10 | December 13, 1969 | Alumni Gymnasium | No. 1 Kentucky | 109–92 |
| 11 | December 12, 1970 | New Field House | No. 5 Kentucky | 95–93OT |
| 12 | December 17, 1971 | Freedom Hall | Indiana | 90–89OT |
| 13 | December 9, 1972 | Assembly Hall | Indiana | 64–58 |
| 14 | March 17, 1973 | Memorial Gymnasium | No. 6 Indiana | 72–65 |
| 15 | December 8, 1973 | Freedom Hall | No. 3 Indiana | 77–68 |
| 16 | December 7, 1974 | Assembly Hall | No. 3 Indiana | 98–74 |
| 17 | March 22, 1975 | UD Arena | No. 5 Kentucky | 92–90 |
| 18 | December 15, 1975 | Freedom Hall | No. 1 Indiana | 77–68OT |
| 19 | December 6, 1976 | Assembly Hall | No. 5 Kentucky | 66–51 |
| 20 | December 5, 1977 | Rupp Arena | No. 1 Kentucky | 78–64 |
| 21 | December 16, 1978 | Assembly Hall | No. 8 Indiana | 68–67OT |
| 22 | December 15, 1979 | Rupp Arena | No. 5 Kentucky | 69–58 |
| 23 | December 6, 1980 | Assembly Hall | No. 2 Kentucky | 68–66 |
| 24 | December 8, 1981 | Rupp Arena | No. 2 Kentucky | 85–69 |
| 25 | December 22, 1982 | Assembly Hall | No. 5 Indiana | 62–59 |
| 26 | March 24, 1983 | Stokely Athletic Center | No. 12 Kentucky | 64–59 |
| 27 | December 3, 1983 | Rupp Arena | No. 1 Kentucky | 59–54 |
| 28 | December 8, 1984 | Assembly Hall | No. 11 Indiana | 81–68 |
| 29 | December 12, 1985 | Rupp Arena | No. 9 Kentucky | 63–58 |
| 30 | December 6, 1986 | Assembly Hall | No. 3 Indiana | 71–66 |
Kentucky vs Indiana Basketball Game Results (1987-2016)
The last two times that Kentucky has played Indiana in men’s basketball were during the NCAA DI Men’s basketball tournament. December 10th, 2011 was the last time that the two teams played each other during the regular season. If we have a ranking by one of the teams in the winner’s column, that is the ranking at the time the two teams faced off against each other. Notably, when Coach Pope was our starting center, Kentucky defeated IU 89-82.
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 31 | December 5, 1987 | Hoosier Dome | No. 2 Kentucky | 82–76 |
| 32 | December 20, 1988 | Rupp Arena | Indiana | 75–52 |
| 33 | December 2, 1989 | Hoosier Dome | No. 14 Indiana | 71–69 |
| 34 | December 18, 1990 | Assembly Hall | No.7 Indiana | 87–84 |
| 35 | December 7, 1991 | Hoosier Dome | No. 14 Kentucky | 76–74 |
| 36 | January 3, 1993 | Freedom Hall | Kentucky | 81–78 |
| 37 | December 4, 1993 | Hoosier Dome | No. 21 Indiana | 96–84 |
| 38 | December 4, 1994 | Freedom Hall | No. 7 Kentucky | 73–70 |
| 39 | December 2, 1995 | RCA Dome | No. 1 Kentucky | 89–82 |
| 40 | December 7, 1996 | Freedom Hall | No. 6 Kentucky | 99–65 |
| 41 | December 6, 1997 | RCA Dome | No. 1 Kentucky | 75–72 |
| 42 | December 8, 1998 | Freedom Hall | No. 8 Kentucky | 70–61OT |
| 43 | December 4, 1999 | RCA Dome | No. 23 Indiana | 83–75 |
| 44 | December 22, 2000 | Freedom Hall | Kentucky | 88–74 |
| 45 | December 22, 2001 | RCA Dome | No. 7 Kentucky | 66–52 |
| 46 | December 21, 2002 | Freedom Hall | No. 16 Kentucky | 70–64 |
| 47 | December 20, 2003 | RCA Dome | No. 2 Kentucky | 80–41 |
| 48 | December 11, 2004 | Freedom Hall | No. 10 Kentucky | 73–58 |
| 49 | December 10, 2005 | RCA Dome | No. 18 Indiana | 79–53 |
| 50 | December 9, 2006 | Rupp Arena | Kentucky | 59–54 |
| 51 | December 8, 2007 | Assembly Hall | No. 15 Indiana | 70–51 |
| 52 | December 13, 2008 | Rupp Arena | Kentucky | 72–54 |
| 53 | December 12, 2009 | Assembly Hall | No. 4 Kentucky | 90–73 |
| 54 | December 11, 2010 | Rupp Arena | No. 17 Kentucky | 81–62 |
| 55 | December 10, 2011 | Assembly Hall | Indiana | 73–72 |
| 56 | March 23, 2012 | Georgia Dome | No. 1 Kentucky | 102–90 |
| 57 | March 19, 2016 | Wells Fargo Arena | No. 14 Indiana | 73–67 |
1975 Kentucky Upset of #1 Ranked Indiana in the NCAA Tournament
I remember as a kid, my grandpa would always talk about the 1975 game the Cats upset the Hoosiers in the NCAA Tournament. Here’s the highlights of that game for you.
