Kentucky Coach Says Darian DeVries Offenses Resembles 'Bob Knight Indiana' Basketball

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana men's basketball coach Darian DeVries will get his first taste of the Hoosiers' historic rivalry with Kentucky when the two sides meet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday inside Rupp Arena in Lexington.

DeVries has only one memory of Indiana and Kentucky: Christian Watford's game-winning 3-pointer on Dec. 10, 2011, which DeVries watched on his television. That game, and that moment, mark the last time the Hoosiers and Wildcats met during the regular season.

Much has changed since. Indiana has fired three coaches, while Kentucky swapped John Calipari for Mark Pope. The landscape of the sport, with all its NIL and transfer portal means, is dramatically different.

Perhaps the lone consistency between the two games comes at the broadcast table, as ESPN's Dick Vitale, who had the call for Watford's buzzer-beater, will again be on the headset for Saturday night's matchup.

But it's not entirely a blank sheet. Pope sees a similar style, a similar identity, from the DeVries-led Indiana team he'll coach against Saturday night as the Bob Knight-led Hoosiers he played against during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.

"What they’re doing over there right now is actually awesome, because when you guys watch them play, you’re going to feel very much like Bob Knight Indiana," Pope said. "In the sense of, they’re playing with unbelievable movement and motion and with high IQ.

"So, even that part of the style of play they’re playing at right now is pretty inspiring. And it just harkens back to a great tenure in Indiana basketball."

The Hoosiers enter Saturday fresh off one of the best offensive performances in program history during a 113-72 victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. Indiana scored its most points in a Big Ten game since Feb. 17, 1990, while matching the program's Big Ten record with 30 assists and hitting 17 3-pointers for the fifth time in IU history.

Indiana is averaging 88.2 points per game, which ranks 32nd in Division I, and it's dishing 20.4 assists per game, the sixth-best mark in the country. The Hoosiers are shooting 38.2% from 3-point range, the 33rd-best mark nationally, while making 11 triples per contest, which ranks 24th across Division I.

Pope touted Indiana's ball screens, noting the Hoosiers will "test everybody they play this year" from a communication and decision-making standpoint due to the confusion they create with bringing multiple players together in screen settings.

And while Pope feels Indiana's offense is reminiscent to Knight's teams, he said this iteration of the Wildcats haven't faced an opponent that attacks offensively quite like the Hoosiers.

"I think they’re doing an unbelievable job with how they’re playing offense right now," Pope said. "They’re really explosive. They have really talented guys and they’re really leaning in the skill set they have."

Indiana sixth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson, who chose the Hoosiers over the Wildcats in the transfer portal this past spring, scored 44 points against Penn State. Pope holds fond memories and feelings toward Wilkerson and anticipates a challenge Saturday night.

"We love guys that make shots, and he’s made a career of doing that," Pope said. "He’s got a toughness to him that’s pretty great. I love him as a kid. Like, he’s actually a great young man. So, he’s all the good things. He’s kind of worked his way up to get to where he is right now, and he’s a terrific player."

Kentucky's offense hasn't been as strong this season. The Wildcats average 85.5 points per game, but they're shooting just 32.9% from long range, which ranks 214th in Division I. In its six wins, Kentucky is 64-for-166 shooting from distance, a 38.6% clip, but the Wildcats are only 27 of 111 from beyond the arc, a 24.3% rate, in their losses.

DeVries views Kentucky as a tale of two teams, and the results support him.

"I think the biggest thing for them, when you look at the games they've played well, they've scored easily. The games they've struggled, they just haven't shot it very well," DeVries said. "They have a good shooting team. When you look at their stats from last year, percentages and things, some of the guys just haven't shot it as well.

"And I'm sure as the season goes on, those numbers will start to come back to the norm. It's just they've had some games where that hasn't been the case. So, incredibly talented, gifted offensive team, and they can hurt you in a lot of ways, and that three-point shooting, if you start to add that to it, then they become really scary."

Indiana will face its most hostile environment yet Saturday night. The Hoosiers have played only one true road game, a 73-64 loss to Minnesota on Dec. 3, but DeVries feels Indiana learned a valuable lesson in its upset defeat.

"When you go on the road, you got to have a very tough-minded mindset," DeVries said, "and make sure your group is really connected on all the details and little things you need to do to be successful on any game, but specifically when you're on the road, and we just didn't do a lot of those things when we were at Minnesota.

"There was just a lot of little things that added up to the outcome we got. So, I think our guys understand that. I think we also understand the things we need to do to be more successful this time around."

Saturday marks the long-awaited renewal of one of college basketball's best cross-border rivalries, which Kentucky leads, 32-25, all-time. It's the first of four scheduled matchups through the 2028-29 season, with two coming in Rupp Arena, one in Lucas Oil Stadium and another in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

For DeVries, Saturday is an initiation into Indiana basketball culture, and he's hopes it's the first of many such meetings between the two programs.

"I think it's a great series. I hope we can continue this forever," DeVries said. "I think it's great for both programs. I think it's great for college basketball. I think it's something that, certainly, both our programs are excited about. And I know both our fan bases are excited about.

"These are great non-conference games that we want to be a part of and want to play."

Pope, who has more experience with the rivalry's tension and regional significance, echoed DeVries' feelings. And for as long as Pope and DeVries are at the helm, Saturday may truly be a rivalry renewed between Indiana (8-2) and Kentucky (6-4) — for more than just the four years currently scheduled.

"I love the game," Pope said. "I have such great memories of playing in these games and I like it. I like it for us. I like it for fans. I like it for Indiana. I think it’s a great game."