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Most Intense UK Rivalry

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WeWant9_rivals

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Dec 18, 2013
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So the UK/IU thread got me thinking of some of the intense rivalry times. I’m not asking who you would consider the most intense rival of UK all time, but rather what timeframe do you think UK had its most intense rivalry and with who?

The UK/UL rivalry was pretty fun around 12-15, especially living in Louisville.

My dad has told me a lot of great stories of UK/IU during the Hall/Knight days.

Lets hear some good rival stories and memories. When do you think UK was at it most heated with a rival?
 
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BeAllied

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WeWant9 said:
So the UK/IU thread got me thinking of some of the intense rivalry times. I’m not asking who you would consider the most intense rival of UK all time, but rather what timeframe do you think UK had its most intense rivalry and with who?

The UK/UL rivalry was pretty fun around 12-15, especially living in Louisville.

My dad has told me a lot of great stories of UK/IU during the Hall/Knight days.

Lets hear some good rival stories and memories. When do you think UK was at it most heated with a rival?
Click to expand...

Sometimes the most intense is UK fan vs. UK "fan".
 
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DraftCat

DraftCat

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UK and UL for me personally 2006-2014 the hate was real. But I was also around High School / College Kids during that time so was much more involved

It's hard for me to hate any school now days getting old.
 
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BlueLegends

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WeWant9 said:
So the UK/IU thread got me thinking of some of the intense rivalry times. I’m not asking who you would consider the most intense rival of UK all time, but rather what timeframe do you think UK had its most intense rivalry and with who?

The UK/UL rivalry was pretty fun around 12-15, especially living in Louisville.

My dad has told me a lot of great stories of UK/IU during the Hall/Knight days.

Lets hear some good rival stories and memories. When do you think UK was at it most heated with a rival?
Click to expand...
December 1994. Sitting in Freedom Hall with the arena divided in half by fans at half court with south seating all Blue and and north all Crimson. It was epic! I represented sitting just next to the Hoosier fans lmao! Bob Knight in the house. We got the Dub, but damn McCarty, hit your free throws!!!

Delk, Epps, McCarty, Pope and IU with Alan Henderson and the infamous Neil Reed.

 
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BlueLegends

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DraftCat said:
UK and UL for me personally 2006-2014 the hate was real. But I was also around High School / College Kids during that time so was much more involved

It's hard for me to hate any school now days getting old.
Click to expand...
My bad. I mistakenly thought you were referring to Duke. You can see where my hatred stands. LOL. Carry on and my original post below still stands. 😈

The hate was real long before that. The second that Laettners punk-*** stomped on Aminu Timberlake I threw my food plate at the TV. It wasn’t my big screen projection TV. It was at a watch party with friends. Get this, the owner was even upset, he said I beat him to it. Crazy hate for Duke goes back far.
 
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BlueLegends

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SemperFiCat said:
Those games against Nolan's Hawgs were pretty good for a few years.
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40 minutes of hell!!! Those boots too!

I actually met Scotty Thurman, Corliss Williamson, and Beck as they stayed at the hotel in Memphis I stayed at for their game at the Pyramid.

Even had breakfast and a conversation at a table with Dick Vitale. Hold on to your Cat ears, I really liked the guy.
 
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Myotis

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I'm not sure Kentucky actually has any "rivals". Louisville would seem to be the most logical, but it seems most UK fans don't regard UofL as a legitimate opponent and many would prefer not to play them at all. Kentucky doesn't play Duke or UNC often enough to qualify them. IU would certainly seem to have been the primary rival, but the annual series ended after 2012 and it seems much of the passion of the rivalry went out after Knight was fired anyway.

That kind of leaves just Tennessee - which only seems to be a big rivalry for fans who live along the border and have some regular contact with UT fans.
 
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kybassfan

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BeAllied said:
Sometimes the most intense is UK fan vs. UK "fan".
Click to expand...
I think this board gives a very twisted view of that state. You’ve got a number of Cal hating freakazoids on this board that are completely out of touch with the rest of us. Most of us would like to see the program get back on track after a very difficult year with a lot of adversity.
 
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BlueBomb

BlueBomb

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A rivalry has never been more instense than Kentucky/Louisville in the 80s when UofL was having their run. The dream game occurred. Then Sutton arrived and made the little brother comment. Then Chapman went off for 26 points at UofL and the modern rivalry was born.

If this is before your time, just know that everything that has occurred after the stretch in the 80s has been nothing in comparison.
 
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LoavulLou

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BlueLegends said:
December 1994. Sitting in Freedom Hall with the arena divided in half by fans at half court with south seating all Blue and and north all Crimson.
Click to expand...
I was there too. Never before seen fans divided up that way into "horseshoes". It really made for a spectacle.

That place was really rocking before the tip. Freedom Hall was a great place to watch basketball.
 
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BlueLegends

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LoavulLou said:
I was there too. Never before seen fans divided up that way into "horseshoes". It really made for a spectacle.

That place was really rocking before the tip. Freedom Hall was a great place to watch basketball.
Click to expand...
it was electric and when you got inside and at first glance seeing the split up fans, you had to do a double take. It was loud before and insane the last 2 minutes.

Did you notice several sections of guys on the IU side looked like Norm from the TV series “Cheers”?
 
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BlueLegends

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Myotis said:
I'm not sure Kentucky actually has any "rivals". Louisville would seem to be the most logical, but it seems most UK fans don't regard UofL as a legitimate opponent and many would prefer not to play them at all. Kentucky doesn't play Duke or UNC often enough to qualify them. IU would certainly seem to have been the primary rival, but the annual series ended after 2012 and it seems much of the passion of the rivalry went out after Knight was fired anyway.

That kind of leaves just Tennessee - which only seems to be a big rivalry for fans who live along the border and have some regular contact with UT fans.
Click to expand...
For me, Tennesse is not and never will be considered a rivalry due to the obvious fact they’ll never be a basketball program with any legit shot of winning a title. Why make them remotely relevant by simply saying they are rivalry of UK.
 
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Backer cutter

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WeWant9 said:
So the UK/IU thread got me thinking of some of the intense rivalry times. I’m not asking who you would consider the most intense rival of UK all time, but rather what timeframe do you think UK had its most intense rivalry and with who?

The UK/UL rivalry was pretty fun around 12-15, especially living in Louisville.

My dad has told me a lot of great stories of UK/IU during the Hall/Knight days.

Lets hear some good rival stories and memories. When do you think UK was at it most heated with a rival?
Click to expand...
The UK-iU games during the Hall-Knight era were epic. Also the Tennessee games during Grunfeld-King era. Arkansas-UK during Nolins heyday were fantastic.
 
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BigRedMachineBigBlueNation

BigRedMachineBigBlueNation

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May 4, 2015
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WeWant9 said:
So the UK/IU thread got me thinking of some of the intense rivalry times. I’m not asking who you would consider the most intense rival of UK all time, but rather what timeframe do you think UK had its most intense rivalry and with who?

The UK/UL rivalry was pretty fun around 12-15, especially living in Louisville.

My dad has told me a lot of great stories of UK/IU during the Hall/Knight days.

Lets hear some good rival stories and memories. When do you think UK was at it most heated with a rival?
Click to expand...
Was IU for a time. Now?? Whenever we play UNC it is always an intense game. Same to Tennessee. They’re the only SEC team that can beat us on a regular basis.
 
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Louis_Skunt

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A forgotten rivalry was LSU/UK for a few years when Pitino started getting warmed up. Things got heated a few times in Baton Rouge. Was true hatred. And now that i dont hate LSU anymore, Chris Jackson was the best college player ive ever seen pre-Anthony Davis.
 
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BlueLegends

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Louis_Skunt said:
A forgotten rivalry was LSU/UK for a few years when Pitino started getting warmed up. Things got heated a few times in Baton Rouge. Was true hatred. And now that i dont hate LSU anymore, Chris Jackson was the best college player ive ever seen pre-Anthony Davis.
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Pitino used a BROOM to try to block shot attempts in practice to replicate facing Shaq! Epic coaching!
 
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IUfanBorden

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Its Louisville----And it ain't close. Like, at all. I remember the 80's. It was honestly pure hate- Just was. Its kinda of settled ---some. But make no mistake---UK/UL, IMO, is a rivalry built on hate---And borders that of Missouri/Kansas.
 
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DoubleZeroMostel

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Here's how i feel, we could play Duke home and home, every year, hopefully win, but always be a good game, shake hands and respect each other's programs. That would be coolcool,
 
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FFWhite

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Hate Louisville the most. But post Rick that could change. I always liked Crum. Indiana is not relevant enough to be a rival. Hate Duke more than North Carolina because ratface is so pretentious. Tar Heel fans belief in the Carolina way is reprehensible. In conference UT is tops on hate list. Gaytors and Hogs are close. Hogs are not nearly as dispicable after getting away from the Crater Face coaching tree. LSU is not nearly relevant enough to hate. Gaytors are sliding into Hoosier irrelevance.
 
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Soupbean

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Myotis said:
I'm not sure Kentucky actually has any "rivals". Louisville would seem to be the most logical, but it seems most UK fans don't regard UofL as a legitimate opponent and many would prefer not to play them at all. Kentucky doesn't play Duke or UNC often enough to qualify them. IU would certainly seem to have been the primary rival, but the annual series ended after 2012 and it seems much of the passion of the rivalry went out after Knight was fired anyway.

That kind of leaves just Tennessee - which only seems to be a big rivalry for fans who live along the border and have some regular contact with UT
Click to expand...
 
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Soupbean

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clearly a younger crowd with a limited frame of reference compared to us older folk. But for those who have been around for them all, they will tell you that back in the day the Rivalry with the Vols was as intense as you could get. It was much bigger than the IU series, had more hate, more tension & more excitement. Then it kind of fell off in the 80's & 90's some.

IU was strong and had its moments for sure over a long period of time but didn't reach the intensity of importance to the fans that UT did back then.

LSU & Arky had their day as the evil ones for sure but for short periods of time. As did Notre Dame. And Duke just because they challenged our national prominence.

Overall if you're taking into account intensity over the longest period of time it has to be UL. The dream game just kicked off a whole new level of bitterness.
 
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fastpaste101

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BlueBomb said:
A rivalry has never been more instense than Kentucky/Louisville in the 80s when UofL was having their run. The dream game occurred. Then Sutton arrived and made the little brother comment. Then Chapman went off for 26 points at UofL and the modern rivalry was born.

If this is before your time, just know that everything that has occurred after the stretch in the 80s has been nothing in comparison.
Click to expand...
This. In the 80s it was really tense. Louisville won in 80 and 86 and were the “cool” team on the rise whereas UK was kind of old school. Denny crum loved talking smack. Fun times though.
 
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SmedMoley

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kybassfan said:
I think this board gives a very twisted view of that state. You’ve got a number of Cal hating freakazoids on this board that are completely out of touch with the rest of us. Most of us would like to see the program get back on track after a very difficult year with a lot of adversity.
Click to expand...
Yes, it's gotta be the fault of the opposing point of view. You're the very worst on this board for intolerance of an opposing viewpoint. Stop being a hypocrite.
 
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BlueLegends

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kybassfan said:
I think this board gives a very twisted view of that state. You’ve got a number of Cal hating freakazoids on this board that are completely out of touch with the rest of us. Most of us would like to see the program get back on track after a very difficult year with a lot of adversity.
Click to expand...
 
M

MakinMusic_rivals

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Probably Duke v Kentucky at this point. There really haven’t been any legit adversaries that have been consistent other than Duke.
 
J

JonathanW_rivals

Heisman
Jan 3, 2003
145,534
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BlueLegends said:
December 1994. Sitting in Freedom Hall with the arena divided in half by fans at half court with south seating all Blue and and north all Crimson. It was epic! I represented sitting just next to the Hoosier fans lmao! Bob Knight in the house. We got the Dub, but damn McCarty, hit your free throws!!!

Delk, Epps, McCarty, Pope and IU with Alan Henderson and the infamous Neil Reed.

Click to expand...


Yeah, I was at that game the year before in the old RCA-Dome, that 50/50 blue/red split was a site to see with 40K fans. I think D.Bailey missed a 3 at the buzzer that would have either tied it or beat us, I think we were like #3 and them #5 or something like that.
 
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JonathanW_rivals

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MakinMusic said:
Probably Duke v Kentucky at this point. There really haven’t been any legit adversaries that have been consistent other than Duke.
Click to expand...

To me Duke-cheat and UNCheat are our 2 main rivals. UL is a rival, but they are a tier below. We don't battle UL for recruits, we battle Duke, UNC, KU, and whoever is good at that time. Unless it's a kid from Louisville, or he really likes strippers over beautiful Coeds, if UK and UL offer a player, 9 times out of 10 he is ours. UL is "little brother".
Now I am a bit biased on my hate for those 2 schools, having lived near both for 1/2 my life.
 
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BlueLegends

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JonathanW said:
Yeah, I was at that game the year before in the old RCA-Dome, that 50/50 blue/red split was a site to see with 40K fans. I think D.Bailey missed a 3 at the buzzer that would have either tied it or beat us, I think we were like #3 and them #5 or something like that.
Click to expand...
Damon Bailey story was great. I don’t care it was an IU thing. Bob Knight watching Bailey as an 8th grader was unheard of by the General.

You know how fans today can look at players and say “that kid looks like a Dookie.” Welp, IU had just the same in Matt Nover, Steve Alford, and Damon Bailey.
 
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pardaisy

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Nov 20, 2003
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IMO the top rivals in order all time
Loserville
Indiana
Tennessee
LSU (Dale Brown years)
Arkansas ( early 90’s)

We don’t play Dook enough to consider it a rivalry. We used to play Notre Dame every year but we won 80% of them, so that’s not a rivalry.
 
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