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A Louisville-Indiana basketball home-and-away series may be in the works soon, replacing the Hoosiers’ former annual rivalry game with Kentucky.
Good for Rick Pitino and Tom Crean. Two teams projected to be in the pre-season top five next season, are located within two hours of each other, and claim rich basketball tradtion.
“The polls have us 1 and 2,” said Pitino. ““It would be good for us to have a game a 1-[hour], 45-[minute] bus ride away. It would be good for college basketball.’’
Shame it took a cancellation of the UK series for Indiana to see the light, but it’s a natural rivalry that Louisville will embrace without the pettiness that has overtaken the other rivalry.
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Speaking of rivalries, the U of L-Vanderbilt baseball series has been raised a notch with the two teams playing their first “Battle of the Barrel” game Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The barrel trophy signifies Kentucky’s history as a bourbon-making state and Tennessee’s history as a whiskey-making state.
The game will be the 25th all-time between the two schools on the baseball diamond and the 10th in the last five seasons. The Cardinals were on the winning end of a NCAA regional title game in 2009, while the Commodores earned the victory in the 2010 regional championship game.
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I think this is a great idea. I am sure sorry to see the IU vs UK rivalry go away, but no one was budging. So see yah Cats and bring on the Cards. IU vs UofL rivalry. A new tradition. Sounds good to me. Go Hoosiers!!!
Wow! I didn’t realize such blasphemy was tolerated in Lexington. You win the national championship in your third year and go on for the next month to appear anywhere and at any time to spread the good news. BUT, flub a negotiation with a long-time rival and it’s “What have you done for me lately, Coach Cal?”
I guess Billy D. thought twice and made the right decision! Fans without satisfaction!
P.S. Should Louisville land the series, is Pitino overheard saying, “This one’s for stealing Teague”?