Article about the UK and UL rivalry
Mike Rutherford at SBNation.com has an excellent article about how the UK and UL rivalry is the best rivalry in college basketball. He points out how ESPN crams the DUKE vs UNC games down our throat 2 (sometimes 3) times a year. Duke vs UNC is a great rivalry as well, don’t get me wrong, but, and as he points out in the article, UK vs UL happens only once a year.
Excerpt from the article:
But when any person, idea or organization grows so large and powerful, people are bound to find fault with it. I, like most, have developed numerous issues with the four letter network over the years, but none greater than its uncanny ability to somehow convince the vast majority of the country that what it says is as much a fact as 1+1=2, or Washington was the first President, or Johnny Weir pulls chicks.
Each winter you’ve got every ESPN personality with an ACC degree subtly mentioning 37 times a week that Duke/North Carolina is the best rivalry in college basketball. You’ve got the Devils and the Heels right alongside the Yankees and Red Sox and Ali/Frazier in a four-times-a-year SportsNation poll question asking “which is the best rivalry in sports.” You’ve got Dick Vitale belittling anyone with a reasonable opinion that differs from his own by boasting time after time that there is “absolutely no doubt” that UNC/Duke is “far and away” the best rivalry in college athletics.
What choice do us voiceless pawns (“the little bald bitches on the chessboard”) watching from home have but to lay back and accept this? ESPN is like the NASA of sports. This is what they do. Someone has researched this. There’s a formula. It’s right. It has to be right.
It’s not right.
Louisville vs. Kentucky is the best this sport has to offer.
The game might not get the “full circle” treatment, it might not garner a week of over-hyped advertising, and it may not feature a man on the television screaming like the fate of the Middle East is at stake, but it simply means vastly more than its top rivalry competition. It means more to the players involved, it means more to the coaches involved, it means more to the fans involved and it means more to the state involved.
Sometimes you want to go…
Kentucky released today that Sam Malone tore his ACL on a failed drive to the basket during the Chattanooga game. Malone will undergo surgery at a time to be determined and will miss the rest of the season.
It’s a tough break for the walk-on. Here’s to you, Sam. Cheers.
Chane Behanan thinks Louisville is #1
Yeah, good luck with that.
Priceless
I saw this article linked on a message board. The picture accompanying the title and 1st paragraph is absolutely hilarious.
More Indiana Fan Stories
The other day, KSR posted an email from a UK fan describing their treatment while at the Indiana game. Today, Larry Vaught posts an email he received detailing more bad treatment from Indiana fans. Read Vaught’s comments below the email. A respected writer backs up the fan’s story and also seems to agree the series should be cancelled.
From what I’ve been reading/hearing, if the game goes back to Indiana in 2 years, it won’t be pretty. There are already people talking about going in large groups, basically daring the Indiana fans to start the harassment. It could be another Indiana Pacers Detroit Pistons type situation.
Kentucky fan who went to Bloomington has valid reasons for dropping Indiana series
Published December 14, 2011 | By larryvaughtBy LARRY VAUGHT
For the Kentucky fans who did get inside Assembly Hall to watch the Wildcats play Indiana last Saturday, the loss was not the worst part of the day. Instead, it was the treatment many received from Indiana fans.
Tuesday I shared the story of Megan Dills, a 1998 UK graduate who was knocked down after the game and tore ankle tendons that forced her to cancel a Playboy photo shoot this weekend because of the injury. Today I have a letter from a 1996 UK graduate who asked to remain anonymous sent to Indiana, Kentucky and NCAA officials about the treatment she and her husband received.
She wrote:
“I would like to inform you of my experience at the UK/IU game at Assembly Hall in Bloomington Indiana on December 10th 2011. Please understand I travel several times a year for away games and have experienced hostile environments from The University of Tennessee at Thompson Boling to the University of Connecticut at Madison Square Garden. However, I have never been treated in a way that had me scared for my safety and unsure how UK fans would be treated if we won. My seats were 30 rows up behind the UK bench.
On arrival at Assembly Hall, we wore black coats over our Blue shirts so no one noticed us. However, my husband opened his coat and immediately someone got in his face and hissed. We thought that was weird but not that unusual for UK fans since we are used to being everyone’s Super Bowl. We walked up to our seats. The first thing we noticed was UK warming up on the floor and IU fans chanting “F**k UK.” When the lineups were announced the students turned their back to the floor and stuck their middle fingers up and said “F**k you” as they announced each UK player. I understand students will be students but I would think IU would see this language as unacceptable.
The game started and every time UK was fouled by IU a gentleman behind me would scream “F**k you” at the top of his lungs. I can not explain the anger I felt in this environment from the IU fans. We did not respond to the taunting and foul language directed at us and other UK fans. We wanted to enjoy the game but it was hard because if you clapped when UK scored you really were not certain if something would come flying at your head or not. When the shot was made for IU to win the game, we stood there for a second gathering our coats and, at this point, it got scary. A couple of middle-aged IU fans came to our seats and stuck their middle fingers up in our faces and screamed “Get out of our f**king house.” The hostility we felt was scary. It was not your normal we won ha-ha. It was pure hatred. My friend who was in the upper arena would not even go to the restroom after the game out of fear for his safety. We heard IU fans had talked about slitting throats and believed that was somewhat unrealistic but the anger we felt made us think twice.
Also, I was not a witness to the fans who were spit on in Assembly Hall but those comments were made by UK fans that were outside of Assembly Hall after the game. The fans that walked out of Assembly Hall without their blue covered up were screamed at and some IU fans would get in their faces and yell “you suck” and “F**k you.” Fortunately, we covered up our blue. We knew to do so from the experience at our seats.
This was the most hostile environment I have ever encountered and I am writing to you to request that you not renew the series with Indiana University. I understand next year the game will be at Rupp Arena and we need the home game. However, I am asking you not to renew it the following year when the series goes back to Bloomington. The environment there is not safe for our fans.
I did not see one UK fan retaliate to their hostility but I fear this may not be the case next time. I think most UK fans were surprised and taken off guard by their display of hostility this time but I am not sure what some UK fans may do next time if they are provoked like we were. Also, UK needs to send a message to the Indiana University Athletic Department that we will not stand for our fans being treated like this and they need to send a statement to their students and fans that this behavior is not acceptable.”
I wish I could say she might be embellishing. But she’s not. I never heard the f-bomb dropped as much as I did at this game. To be fair, some Indiana officials warned students to quit using the word, but that was about as effective as me telling the rain to stop falling during a thunderstorm. Unless you were at the game, it’s hard to describe the animosity. I know I talked to the parent of one UK player who was stunned by the atmosphere inside the arena.
I’ve always been in favor of UK playing Indiana, but after Saturday this fan has a valid, valid point she made to UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart about dropping the series before something could happen like it did with the Cincinnati-Xavier game last weekend.
Kentucky#3
Kentucky held on to a top 5 ranking by coming in at #3 in both the AP and Coaches polls. Louisville fans who were hoping to catapult to #1, or at least ahead of UK, will be sorely disappointed to learn UL comes in one spot behind UK at #4. After all the UL fans gloated about UK’s loss, that brings a smile to my face.
Polls
ESPN/Coaches
AP
ESPN article
Come on!
Is an ESPN writer taking a shot at Kentucky by saying, “North Carolina’s loss was Kentucky’s gain — at least for a week?”
Probably not. But it doesn’t do anything to quell the conspiracy theorists. Personally, I think someone must have grabbed an intern on their way to get coffee and made them do a quick writeup for the site.
I know I’m no award winning journalist. But I at least have the excuse that I have no editor. What is ESPN’s excuse for saying:
The Tar Heels, who dropped to fifth Monday, will get a chance to knock off visiting Kentucky on Saturday, assuming the Wildcats can get by St. John’s on Thursday.
First of all, North Carolina is visiting Kentucky. Secondly, Kentucky WILL get by St. John’s on Thursday. They might not win the game, but they will face North Carolina on Saturday, AND UK will still be the #1 team in both polls. Come on!
Rocky Topped
Saturday was a great day to be a UK fan. First, the football team ends a 26 year losing streak to Tennessee. (Fact: UK is undefeated against Tennessee in the last year.) The basketball team easily handles Portland to remain undefeated. And to finish off the night, North Carolina loses to UNLV which means UK will more than likely become the #1 team in the country.
Now, for my rants.
Football:
You’re wearing blinders if you don’t think UK is horrible. UK is really, really horrible. They played with a WR as a quarterback and ended with a total of 15 passing yards. You would think this is an amazing stat, to play a WR a qb, pass for only 15 yards against an SEC defense and still win. I guess it is amazing and very unlikely. But after 26 years, the stars finally aligned for Kentucky. While they are a bad team, this just goes to prove how bad Tennessee really is. For once, they are worse than Kentucky.
Basketball:
I don’t have too many gripes about the basketball team. They were sloppy at times but still won by 24. I have a feeling, however, they’re going to be overlooking a very dangerous St. John’s team. Steve Lavin cold very well catch UK off guard and leave Rupp Arena with a victory. However, they will still be #1 when the UNC game rolls around.
#1:
While I like seeing a #1 beside UK’s name, it worries me this time of year. With North Carolina coming to town as #1, Kentucky had something extra to play for, something more to prove. Now that they’ll be #1, it reverses that mindset. Now UNC is going to come to Rupp with the intentions of proving the UNLV game was a fluke. The best-case scenario in my mind was for UNC to start the week as #1 then lose to Wisconsin. That way UK still has something to prove and I get the satisfaction of seeing North Carolina lose.
