Dump the boring Crossroads Classic which is Indiana sponsored welfare for our in state competition and replace that event with bigger name teams. The Crossroads Classic is dumb for Indiana and Indianapolis, for the latter, you would hope to attract a team that has fans far enough away that they would stay in a downtown hotel overnight. As that event is set up, the fans don't even need to visit a restaurant on game day, they can drive home to eat.
Cuban asks Cal to renew IU/UK series
- Thread starter jimmygoiu
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Dump the boring Crossroads Classic which is Indiana sponsored welfare for our in state competition and replace that event with bigger name teams. The Crossroads Classic is dumb for Indiana and Indianapolis, for the latter, you would hope to attract a team that has fans far enough away that they would stay in a downtown hotel overnight. As that event is set up, the fans don't even need to visit a restaurant on game day, they can drive home to eat.
I think it’s been reported to be much more mutually beneficial to the city and all programs than you make it out to be. But by and large, I’d be fine with switching it up as you say.
What about a true “Big 4” played at Lucas Oil instead? IU, Louisville, Kentucky, and maybe Purdue? Could that work with IU never playing Purdue and Kentucky never playing Louisville? That’d be amazing though.
Going further on the IU, PU, UL, UK “Big 4” day at Lucas Oil. Holy hell would that be cool! 40 thousand, 10 thousand from each school initially, split up the 5k unused Purdue seats equally amongst the other 3 schools.
If something like that we’re to happen, offer ND a 2 for 1 series. 2 in Bloomington, 1 in South Bend. Then go after another really cool home and home with a national team like Kansas, UCLA, or Gonzaga even.
But we’ve already suggested that and it was declined. So the choices are (1) No series, or (2) Neutral sites.
That’s an easy choice, IMO — if, anyway, we assume that we want to reboot it. I do - so, if it can only happen at neutral sites, so be it.
All of these hypotheticals presume IU has any say in this, beyond the “yes” or “no” to what UK has proposed (a neutral site game). If IU wants to play UK so badly, they can agree to what has basically been on the table for several years. If not, move on.
Well, what I remember being reported back in the Crean era was that they insisted on neutral sites and we insisted on having at least some games on campus. Those two circles don’t intersect on a Venn Diagram.
This isn’t about who does or doesn’t have leverage. Both parties were willing and able to walk away - and because they couldn’t mutually agree on terms, that’s precisely what they did.
What I’m saying is that it’s a stupid thing to part ways over. If UK insists on neutral sites, what’s the harm? We did it that way for years.
In all fairness UK has all the leverage. We desperately need them. They don’t need us.
This is very simple. Do neutral sites rotating Indy and Louisville. Great for fans and those cities. Get it done.
We don’t “desperately need them”. UK doesn’t solve the issues that ail our program. And financially we’re fine, could be in a better spot than they are financially?
As a fan base... IU fans want the game more than UK fans do. And we do want it badly. Most of their fans couldn’t care less. But again, we don’t need the game.
I like the idea of changing Crossroads to a true Big 4 with Louisville, Purdue, Kentucky, and Indiana. We’d get them every other year, and Louisville in the off year. Not sure Kentucky would see that as a good opportunity though. Other than playing in Indy every year at Lucas Oil. That would sure be an awesome way to spend a December weekend though!
I have no problem with a neutral site only series. By leverage, I meant that UK seems willing to play under very specific circumstances. We can either accept or reject. All of the talk seems to be from IU fans. I don’t sense UK cares much about it.
We don’t need them, desperately or otherwise. Don’t be ridiculous — I mean, more than you typically are.
I do think it would be mutually beneficial to have the series. You might argue that we have more to gain from it than they do. But “desperately need them”? That’s stupid.
There hasn’t been that much talk about it from anybody. Not for about 5 years or so, anyway.
And, clearly, back when this was discussed, we were just as willing to walk away as they were.
Nobody has “leverage” here. Both programs seem perfectly content for it not to happen. I just think the stated reasoning is trivial.
I disagree, at least to an extent. When talk of reinstating the series arises, it isn’t exclusively from the IU camp, but that tends to be the source. I’ve never once seen anyone from UK talk about any sort of rapprochement. They’re clearly content with the status quo, while various people from IU would like to resume the series. As such, the leverage really is with UK if this is going to happen. Either IU bends to their wishes or it doesn’t get done.
Well that’s probably true. But I wouldn’t really call that leverage — because clearly we’ve been willing to walk away without a reboot. Nobody has much leverage when both parties are willing to walk away without a deal.
Of course, that’s subject to change with our getting a new AD. But there isn’t any evidence that he’s champing at the bit to get this done.
It exists if we keep suggesting that we’d like to play UK again. The demand is one sided, so we’ll need to bend if we want to get something done. If not, UK won’t care in the least. On the other hand, someone connected to IU will resurrect the topic down the road and wonder what needs to happen to resume the series. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
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Well, a few years back I had to host my cousins for the tournament game between Louisville and UK... All UK women, and fans of UK... (One was a high school girls coach in KY)... I live in Indy, and the game was here... Nevertheless, we had a blast hanging out, talking hoops... They know I'm the biggest IU fan ever... But we all had fun that weekend!!! Rivalry is fun... But, at the end of the day, we gotta love our own teams and enjoy such a great American sport!!! Go IU!!!
IU
UK
UofL
PU
One of these doesn’t belong if you’re calling it the Big 4...sorry, PU fans will cry about how they’ve been better than IU but they are not on par as a program.
UK
UofL
PU
One of these doesn’t belong if you’re calling it the Big 4...sorry, PU fans will cry about how they’ve been better than IU but they are not on par as a program.
Who keeps suggesting it? You think that Dolson or Archie put Cuban up to this? That's the only reason we're talking about it here -- Mark Cuban brought it up to Calapari.
You're acting as if IU brass is repeatedly making public overtures to Kentucky. They're not -- it was obviously discussed back in the Crean days. But a deal wasn't reached -- for reasons we all know.
I hope it happens. But it's not that big of a deal if it doesn't.
Would love to see a game live between the two programs at Rupp and Assembly Hall. It won’t ever happen though-way too much emotion with this game and it brings out the worst in the fans. Let’s hope for a neutral court and then hope that things go well enough to move it back to a home and home.
I work in Kentucky and trust me when I say they want us to still play too. They hate that we beat them the last 2 out of 3 times.
Personally, I always liked it better when the game alternated between the RCA Dome and Freedom Hall. I have no idea why Crean/Glass were so insistent the games alternate between home courts.
The stated reason about UK getting more recruiting exposure in Indy always seemed like really weak tea. Would they have said that playing games at Freedom Hall or Yum would’ve given IU more recruiting exposure in Louisville, too?
We need it bad. Our non conference schedule has been a disaster for many years. We’re not viewed positively by most recruits anymore. We need this series back.
There are gobs of options for us to beef up our non-conference schedule. Obviously, Kentucky would be among the best of those options — one of the 3 or 4 best programs in the game in recent years, huge following, and right next door.
But there are lots of fish in the sea. It doesn’t have to be them.
Of course he has. It happens virtually every time UK loses a road game. But this was not your run of the mill court storm. This was a full on mob stampede. And whether anyone will admit it or not he truly had a player in danger because of it. It's only a matter of time before someone does get hurt because of this stupidity so I totally see his perspective.
Of course he sees advantages in playing off campus. Cal is a genius in using the system to his advantage.
I think this is a fantastic idea. And I think it is something Cal would actually go for. He loves playing in events like that.
i agree but louisville wouldn’t work since kentucky already has a home and home with louisville maybe replace them with butler?
i agree, but louisville wouldn’t work since kentucky already has a home and home with them, maybe replace them with butler?
It wouldn’t be a tournament. It would be 2 games. Louisville vs Purdue. UK vs. IU. So yes it would work.
For a few years, UK played Notre Dame and IU on the schedule.I think we were playing Louisville regularly then too.
I'd like to see those days come back. I'd like to see more home and home so UK fans would get to see good teams and traditional basketball programs play at Rupp
Unlikely with Cal priorities
I'd like to see those days come back. I'd like to see more home and home so UK fans would get to see good teams and traditional basketball programs play at Rupp
Unlikely with Cal priorities
You have over 7000 messages and only 888 likes so you must not know much about college basketball.
oh, a wounded wildcat down. Come on, team. Let’s create a human chain around him until help comes! What bullshit.
PS not many fans come to the games UK wins on the road. Ole Miss. Yawn city.
Was a great series in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I wish it could be a great series again. But IU basketball isnt at the level where its going to get a home and home with UK. Neutral site, maybe.
The video is easy to find. Take a look at the stampede that happened. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the danger.
The second part of this is just ignorant. UK sells out any arena they go to. It's t-shirt night. Whiteouts, blackouts. Hell Texas Tech did free beer last year.
Having the game in Indy provides UK with NO recruiting advantage. UK is on national TV every week. If they are interested in a kid from Indiana HS, this game does not matter in the least. Actually, it improves IU's chance for the kid, because this would be a big time national game and IU is in it.
I would accept that, provided that the broilees are NOT involved. Playu UK every year and bring in a big time opponent to play UL, just not the broilees. IU and UK can put 36000 equal numbers of fans every year. This game does not need UL to fill the stands, and certainly does not need the 5,000 fans the broilees would bring. Don't legitimize them, leave them out.
