How To Watch Indiana vs Kentucky Basketball

The Wildcats host the Hoosiers Saturday at Rupp Arena. Here's the time and TV info, point spread and over/under, announcers, series history, recent results, key stats and more.

Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson (3) smiles after setting the Assembly Hall scoring record against Penn State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The rivalry is back. For the first time since the 2016 NCAA Tournament, Indiana and Kentucky will meet Saturday at Rupp Arena to renew what was once among college basketball's best annual rivalry.

It was shaping up to be a top-25 matchup, but Indiana lost its Big Ten opener to Minnesota and fell to No. 6 Louisville last weekend, knocking the Hoosiers out of the rankings. Kentucky had been ranked as high as No. 9 this season, but they've lost to ranked opponents in Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina and Gonzaga.

That makes Saturday a crucial game for both teams, which have few, if any, opportunities left to pick up meaningful nonconference victories. Here's more information on the game.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Darian DeVries against the Kansas State Wildcats at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

How to watch Indiana vs. Kentucky

• Who: Indiana Hoosiers (8-2, 1-1 in Big Ten) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (6-4, 0-0 in SEC)
• What: Nonconference rivalry game
• When: Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Rupp Arena (20,500) in Lexington, Ky.
• TV: ESPN
• TV announcers: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst), Charles Barkley (analyst)
• Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington: 105.1 WHCC-FM; Indianapolis: 93.1 WIBC-FM, or see media guide for other radio affiliates. Radio broadcast also available through Varsity Network app.)
• Radio announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
• Point spread: Will update when available.
• Recent results: Indiana lost 87-78 to No. 6 Louisville at a neutral site on Dec. 6, and then won 113-72 at home against Penn State on Tuesday. Kentucky lost 94-59 to No. 11 Gonzaga at a neutral site on Dec. 5, and then won 103-67 at home against NC Central on Tuesday.
• Last season: Indiana went 19-13 overall and finished ninth out of 18 teams in the Big Ten with a 10-10 conference record in coach Mike Woodson's fourth and final season. Indiana missed the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season and chose not to participate in the NIT. Kentucky went 24-12 overall and finished sixth in the SEC with a 10-8 record in conference play. The Wildcats earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 6 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
• Series history: Kentucky leads the all-time series 32-25. Indiana has won two of the last three matchups, including a 73-67 win in the most recent matchup during the 2016 NCAA Tournament under Tom Crean and a 73-72 win in 2011 behind Christian Watford's buzzer-beater. In between those games, Kentucky defeated Indiana in the 2012 NCAA Tournament en route to its most recent national championship. The Wildcats are 9-3 all-time against the Hoosiers in Lexington, Ky., where Indiana hasn't won since 1988.

Meet the coaches

Kentucky Wildcats coach Mark Pope against the North Carolina Central Eagles at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

• Mark Pope, Kentucky: Pope, 53, is 30-16 overall and 10-8 in SEC play in his second season coaching his alma mater. He led the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in his first season and rose as high as No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll. Pope previously coached BYU, where he had a 110-52 record across five seasons from 2019-24, including two NCAA Tournament appearances but zero victories. He also coached Utah Valley to a 77-56 record and three CBI appearances from 2015-19. Prior to his first head coaching job at Utah Valley, he was an assistant at BYU, Wake Forest and Georgia. Pope played on Kentucky's 1996 national championship team under Rick Pitino.

• Darian DeVries, Indiana: DeVries, 50, is 8-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play in his first season with the Hoosiers after one season at West Virginia, where he went 19-13 overall, finished seventh in the Big 12 with a 10-10 record and missed the NCAA Tournament. He previously coached Drake from 2018-24, going 150-55 overall with three NCAA Tournament appearances, two conference tournament championships, one conference regular season title and two Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year awards. Prior to becoming a head coach, DeVries was an assistant at Creighton from 2001-18, working under current Oregon coach Dana Altman and current Creighton coach Greg McDermott.

What to know about Kentucky

Kentucky has dominant wins over Nicholls, Valparaiso, Eastern Illinois, Loyola-Maryland, Tennessee Tech and NC Central, but the Wildcats have faltered against each power conference opponent they've faced so far. That includes losses to No. 12 Louisville, No. 17 Michigan State, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 11 Gonzaga, which led to a fall from No. 9 in the AP Top 25 poll to unranked.

As a result, all six of Kentucky's wins are in Quad 4 and all four losses are in Quad 1. That has the Wildcats ranked No. 35 in the NET and No. 20 in KenPom, with the No. 30 offensive efficiency, No. 27 defensive efficiency, No. 119 adjusted tempo and No. 239 nonconference strength of schedule. Indiana is right behind them at No. 21 in KenPom.

Kentucky has a balanced offensive attack with five double-digit scorers, including senior guard Otega Oweh (14.4 ppg, 36.7% 3pt FG), senior guard Denzel Aberdeen (12.4 ppg, 32.5% 3pt FG), junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate (11.6 ppg), sophomore guard Collin Chandler (11.2 ppg, 42.6% 3pt FG) and freshman center Malachi Moreno (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg). The Wildcats have also dealt with injuries to key players like Dioubate, who's played just five games, as well as point guard Jaland Lowe and center Jayden Quaintance.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) shoots against the North Carolina Central Eagles at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Following last season's trip to the Sweet 16, Kentucky lost five of its top six leading scorers: Koby Brea, Amari Williams, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler. Pope replaced them with six transfers and four four-star freshmen, a 10-man class that ranked No. 7 overall on the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Going into the year, Kentucky was picked to finish second in the SEC behind the reigning national champion Florida Gators. Oweh was named preseason SEC player of the year, and Lowe made the preseason All-SEC third team.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 

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