The long-awaited return of the Indiana vs. Kentucky cross-border rivalry is here as the Hoosiers and Wildcats play the first of four games over the next four seasons.
Game Day Essentials:
Indiana (8-2) vs. Kentucky (6-4)
- Tip Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern, Saturday
- Location: Rupp Arena (20,500), Lexington, Ky.
- Television: ESPN (Dave O’Brien, Dick Vitale, Charles Barkley)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
- Stream: ESPN
- Point Spread: Kentucky is around a 4.5-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: Indiana 74 Kentucky 78
- History: Kentucky leads the series, 32-25
- Last Meeting: IU 73, UK 67 on March 19, 2016, in Des Moines
- Tickets (via our StubHub affiliate link)
Kentucky’s Mark Pope
Mark Pope is in his 11th season as a head coach in Division I basketball, and his second season at Kentucky. Pope is a former player at Kentucky, and was drafted in the second round by the Indiana Pacers in 1996. In his coaching career, he’s accumulated a 216-124 overall record.
Pope began his career at Utah Valley in 2015. He spent four seasons with their program, helping them rebuild and gain two 20-win seasons from 2017-2019. Pope then made a move to BYU in 2019 and led them to multiple successful seasons. He helped them earn a 24-8 overall record in his first season, and also led them to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2024.
John Calipari left Kentucky in the offseason of 2024 for Arkansas. After an extensive search, Kentucky announced the hiring of Pope on April 12, 2024. Last season Pope helped lead Kentucky to a 24-12 overall record and a 10-8 mark in the SEC, while also appearing in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky’s results and roster
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/4/2025 | Nicholls | Lexington, Ky. | W 77-51 |
| 11/7/2025 | Valparaiso | Lexington, Ky. | W 107-59 |
| 11/11/2025 | at Louisville | Louisville, Ky. | L 88-96 |
| 11/14/2025 | Eastern Illinois | Lexington, Ky. | W 99-52 |
| 11/18/2025 | vs Michigan State (State Farm Champions Classic) | New York, NY. | L 66-83 |
| 11/21/2025 | Loyola (Md.) | Lexington, Ky. | W 88-46 |
| 11/26/2025 | Tennessee Tech | Lexington, Ky. | W 104-54 |
| 12/2/2025 | North Carolina | Lexington, Ky. | L 64-67 |
| 12/5/2025 | vs. Gonzaga | Nashville, Tenn. | L 59-94 |
| 12/9/2025 | North Carolina Central | Lexington, Ky. | W 103-67 |
Kentucky’s Game Notes (via Kentucky Athletics)
A Rivalry Renewed
- Kentucky and Indiana renew their historic rivalry as two of the proudest traditions in college basketball square off inside Rupp Arena on Saturday.
- This marks the first meeting between UK and IU since the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and the first regular-season matchup since 2012.
- The two schools played every season from 1970-2012
- The first ever meeting between the teams came in 1925
- Dan Issel has the most points by a Kentucky player in the rivalry with his 32 points in 1969
Otegatron Finding His Footing
- Otega Oweh missed most of fall camp as he recovered from a turf toe injury. It’s taken a few weeks to find his footing, but Oweh is beginning to look more and more like the breakout player the Cats had a season ago.
- Oweh has scored in double figures in all 10 games and has topped double figures in 43 of 46 games played in the Blue and White overall
- He scored a season-high 21 points vs. NC Central while also matching a career high with three made 3s. Against NC Central, Oweh had a season-high four steals, his fifth consecutive game with multiple thefts.
Have a Day, Zel!
- Denzel Aberdeen has been off to a terrific start for the Wildcats in 2025-26. He’s currently second on the team in scoring at 12.4 points per game, while adding a team-high 35 assists and connecting on 46.9% of his field goals.
- Aberdeen scored a career-high 26 points in the loss at Louisville. It marked just his fourth-ever 20-point output. He also snagged a then-career-best seven rebounds.
Injury Bug Bites Again
- Kentucky has yet to play a game at full strength this season, with sophomore Jayden Quaintance still out with a knee injury. However, UK’s injuries extend beyond just Quaintance’s absence:
- Otega Oweh missed the majority of preseason camp with turf toe. He returned to full action just prior to UK’s two exhibition games.
- Mo Dioubate suffered a high ankle sprain against Michigan State. He has not returned to action since that injury.
No. 20 Kentucky’s KenPom notable numbers:
(out of 365 teams)
Tempo – No. 119 (Offense No. 18 / Defense No. 333)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 30
- UK’s effective field goal percentage stands at 55.9 percent (No. 51). The Wildcats are shooting 32.9 percent from three (No. 195) and 60.9 percent on twos (No. 18).
- Kentucky doesn’t get to the foul line very often. Their attempt rate is pretty low at 29.2 percent (No. 306), and foul shots account for 16.6 percent of their point distribution (No. 305).
- They are good at taking care of the ball with a 14.5 percent turnover rate (No. 44).
- UK also has a pretty good assist rate with a 61.4 percent clip of their made field goals (No. 31).
Defensive Efficiency – No. 27
- Teams have shot a 45.2 percent effective field goal percentage against Kentucky (No. 31). Opponents are shooting 29.7 percent from three (No. 59) and 45.6 percent from two (No. 34).
- Kentucky doesn’t force a ton of turnovers, with only a 15.7 percent rate (No. 269).
- They’re one of the better teams at controlling the glass with a 24.7 percent offensive rebound rate against (No. 22).
- Opponents don’t get many free throws, with FTA/FGA equal to 26.3% and No. 31 nationally.
- Teams have been getting a high assist rate against Kentucky — 59.9%, No. 322.
OG’s Pick
Overall: 9-1
This one is a tough one to call. I do think that Indiana has a good chance to hang with Kentucky, but Rupp Arena is no joke, and it’ll be hard for this team to come into that arena with a lot of poise.
Sticking strictly to numbers, though, I like how Indiana matches up. They should have opportunities to get open looks from beyond the arc, but they will need Alexis and Bailey to provide something down low so they can space the floor. It also helps that Lamar Wilkerson has seemingly found his shot after a historic night in Assembly Hall. I think he has to show up in this game to give IU a chance.
Kentucky is also banged up a little bit, but still has the pieces to compete. In my mind, it’s going to be similar to Louisville: whoever comes out with a better start could control the outcome. Call me crazy, but I think the Hoosiers could do it.
Pick: Indiana 79 – Kentucky 72
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