Banter by Indiana University and University of Kentucky men’s basketball coaches Tom Crean and John Calipari about a neutral
site match-up has fueled speculation the game could return to Indianapolis.
Calipari, who is preparing for his first season at UK, has openly discussed his desire to play more neutral site games. Tom Crean, one of the sport’s great marketing coaches, has intimated that he is open to the idea. Crean understands the benefits of connecting with the school’s alumni—for financial and recruiting reasons, and there is no bigger concentration of IU alums than in Indianapolis. Other sites that could be considered are Louisville, Chicago and even New York.
“If we move the Kentucky series it will be special and it will benefit both schools,” Crean said recently on his on-line Twitter page. “We want our fans to be able to be a part of great things.”
When asked about Crean’s Tweet, IU athletic department spokesman J.D. Campbell said, “Nothing has been discussed publicly.”
Officials for Lucas Oil Stadium, which would seem to be the most ideal local venue for the match-up, said they have not been contacted by IU or UK officials about hosting the game.
For the last four years, the IU-UK match-up has rotated between the two schools’ campus arenas. The game is set to be played in Assembly Hall this coming season. Before that, however, the match-up rotated between Indianapolis and Louisville, and often played before huge crowds at the RCA Dome.
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Fill up Lucas Oil - ain't gonna happen........And you can thank Miles Brand, Rick Greenspan, and Kelvin Sampson for a lot of that also. Reaping what you sow still holds true. The Big 10(?) and IU will never again be the force they once were, NEVER.
You are correct in one regard. I do hate anything to do with IU, even though it is my alma mater. For a school administration to set up a legendary coach to fail - unexcusable. I'm not naive enough to believe that Knight shouldn't have been dealt with, but it should have happened years ago. Brand seemed to have no concept or concern about what he was doing to the reputation of the once formidable program and hallowed halls. They should have fired him and the trustees for the incompetence they displayed over the years.
Where is IU now? - rescue mode. Dealing with outdated, substandard facilities and a team trying to crawl its way back. Will they ever make it back to prominence? We'll have to wait see, but my take is never again. And deservedly so. Three jerks (Brand, Greenspan and Sampson) destroyed a program. Ran it in the ground!
Nothing personal against the current and future players. But, count me as one of the many, many ex IU fans that won't be watching.
Brand started the ball rolling downhill. While I agree Knight is accountable, setting up a legendary coach to fail is no way to handle a situation that would, in the end, have so much effect on this program. Yes, and I didn't suggest Brand had anything to do with hiring Sampson, but the AD puppet Greenspan did. The 3 Stooges could have done better than these 3 clowns.