Latest Installment of Indiana Kentucky Rivalry should prove interesting

First appeared on December 8th, 2011
in The Lebanon Reporter

At its best, Kentucky is an unfortunate hurdle on the way to Florida. My grandpa always said there was nothing in Kentucky but horses and horse thieves. He saw her as a desert of bluegrass where dogs went to get fleas and cousins went to get marriage licenses. Looking back I don't think he liked Kentucky.

I’ve never really had a high impression of the Bluegrass State either, sure they clean up nice (see the Kentucky Derby, Ashley Judd and Rick Pitino) but at the end of the day it would seem all they can boast is being home to an historic horserace and the highest per capita turkey population in the United States.

But alas, John Calipari has changed all that. Since his arrival in Lexington the Wildcats have done nothing but roll opponents on their way to a quick return to national prominence. Saturday Kentucky, the current number 1 team in the nation, will face an upstart Indiana Hoosier squad chomping at the bit to earn national attention. This contest becomes especially interesting considering it's been a while since IU had more than a puncher's chance in this game. And while one should not expect the Hoosiers to win, one should expect them to compete with Kentucky at the highest level.

For generations the Ohio River has been the only peacemaker separating these two rivals and whether it be competition for river traffic in the mid 1800’s or barn-burning All Star Games throughout the 1980’s, Indiana and Kentucky have learned to hate each other. While Indiana has blessed the world with deep fried Twinkies, David Letterman and the greatest spectacle in racing, Kentucky has been busy churning out Jack Daniels whiskey and air pollution.

And as we await the latest installment of this historic rivalry, many are spitting in the face of IU’s 9-0 record claiming they’ve yet to play anybody. If the Hoosiers are to take more than just another immeasurable baby step forward this season, if Tom Crean truly feels his program is ready for a coming out party-there's no better chance than Saturday. Beating Kentucky would send immediate shock waves across the Big Ten and the ripple effect should be enough to trigger national discussion if not a Top 25 ranking.

The experts will tell you Cody Zeller will need 30 and 15 or Jordan Hulls and Will Sheehey will have to shoot the lights out Saturday for Indiana to hang with Kentucky. But there is one factor the real (not part-time pretend) sports columnists will all overlook. And we’re not talking about Christian Watford or John Calipari’s hair stylist. For never granting an interview or providing a great sound bite, the most overlooked factor in Saturday’s game will be Assembly Hall.

When the Hall is full, and Indiana is right, there may not be a more intimidating place to play in the nation. She becomes a living, breathing thing capable of steering passes off course or causing shooters to short arm shots. A monster cloaked in red that can rise up and swallow opponents whole like Jonah and the whale or Herman Cain and the media.

For Indiana it's not every day you get a chance to slay goliath and it’s even rarer still when goliath happens to be a next door neighbor you’ve stubbornly tolerated (and secretly loathed) for nearly 200 years. So it is when Indiana and Kentucky take the floor that two states will watch, one breathless with anticipation of what could be this season, the other breathless simply because they are the 7th fattest state in the country.

© 2011 Eric Walker Williams