Coach John Calipari on Indiana

Indiana and Kentucky has always been a heated basketball rivalry. I much prefer the two playing on a neutral court but on Saturday, the undefeated Hoosiers host the top-ranked Wildcats to Assembly for a sold-out showdown.

This game is probably the most anticipated game in Assembly Hall since the Hoosiers hosted Duke in 2005. It will definitely be the loudest. Tickets were hot on Stubhub.com with the cheapest going for about $200 each–including balcony seats.

For UK, it’s their first true road game of the season. And playing in front of a sold-out Assembly Hall will be no easy task.

Prior to every games, coaches talk about the upcoming game. Coach John Calipari had some very interesting things to say about this matchup and his respect for Tom Crean.

On the characteristics of a Tom Crean-coached team …

“They are going to take good shots. They will be tough as nails. You are not going to get a second shot, they will block you out. They are going to dive on the floor. They will take charges. They are going to play with emotion. They are a grind-it-out team that will play, but they are not going to hurry themselves. He’s got his team now playing that way, the tapes I’ve seen I’ve been very, very impressed.”

On the messages he has been receiving from Indiana fans …

“I don’t notice that. Tom (Crean) and I have been texting back and forth. He had one of the funniest texts to me I have ever seen in my life and I wanted to tweet it for everyone to see. It was as funny as I’ve ever seen. And after he texted me, it was a little hysterical, I texted him back, ‘I’m a little worried now, you are in a great frame of mind, I don’t like this. I’m getting a little anxious.’ I’m not going to say (what the message was); I will let him tell you. This thing is not personal with me, and I know it’s not for him. He wants to win this thing for his campus, his team, his state, and I want to do the same. I have no issues with any of their fans, I brag about their program more than anybody else’s. This is going to be a hot, contested game and we know it and hopefully we are ready. We’ve had some good practices. I asked my staff last night ‘Do you think I pushed our guys enough?’ and they said, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ I said if I haven’t we will see.”

While Crean has been rebuilding the IU program, Kentucky has won the last three meetings. UK has also won nine of the last 11 meetings. Two years ago in Bloomington, the game was tied at half before UK pulled away. Last season, Indiana hung with Kentucky until the final eight minutes.

Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale will call the game on ESPN at 5:15 pm EST.

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