Written by: TJ Inman
For the first time since 2016, the Indiana Hoosiers and Kentucky Wildcats met on the hardwood, renewing a rivalry that most feel should be played on an annual basis. Indiana got off to a solid start and used a good run at the end of the first half to go into the locker room ahead 39-32 but Lamar Wilkerson picked up his fourth foul early in the second 20 minutes and IU’s offense hit the skids as Kentucky rolled on a 17-2 run and pulled away for a 72-60 victory.
Indiana was ahead by seven points when Wilkerson had to sit with four fouls and they trailed by eight when he returned. The Hoosiers turned the ball over 18 times to Kentucky’s four and allowed 14 offensive rebounds while shooting only 4-24 from three. That’s a recipe for a loss against any team, let alone the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena.
With less than two minutes to play in the first half, Tucker DeVries knocked down a pair of free throws and extended IU’s lead to 39-30. While Darian DeVries’ squad had not played a great half, they made the most of trips to the foul line and were plus-two rebounding. Kentucky sped the game up a bit and attacked the basket, forcing Lamar Wilkerson to pick up his fourth foul and that really seemed to swing momentum. The Wildcats began to dominate the glass and had no answers on offense, struggling to get open looks from the perimeter and continuing to turn the ball over.
Mark Pope’s team turned up the heat and Indiana crumbled in the hostile atmosphere. Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries led the team with 15 points each and Tayton Conerway added 11 but no one was particularly efficient and UK dominated the points in the paint 36-18.
Indiana drops to 8-3 and they’ll return to Assembly Hall for games against Chicago State and Siena before heading back into Big Ten play with a contest against Washington on January 4.