Tom Crean defends decision to end series with Kentucky - ESPN

 

 

"First off, someone asked me do you not want to play neutral sites? We have neutral sites," Crean told reporters Tuesday night before meeting with fans at Lucas Oil Stadium. "When the Crossroads Classic came in, that became something that was going to be locked in every year. Even though it's in Indianapolis, it's a neutral site. It's not a home site. You always want to have the ability to play in exempt tournaments. We've done that in the past. We have it this year, playing in New York. So there's three right there." - Crean

 

"After the NCAA championships, both schools verbally agreed in principle to play for two years at neutral sites (December 8, 2012 and December 7 or 14, 2013) and agreed to revisit campus sites upon completion of the two-year deal," he said in a statement released by the athletic department. "The public comments by Indiana prior to (last week) led us to believe that our previous verbal agreement could be in jeopardy, but at no point did we ever have any mutual discussions with Indiana to end the series." - Barnhart

"First off, someone asked me do you not want to play neutral sites? We have neutral sites," Crean told reporters Tuesday night before meeting with fans at Lucas Oil Stadium. "When the Crossroads Classic came in, that became something that was going to be locked in every year. Even though it's in Indianapolis, it's a neutral site. It's not a home site. You always want to have the ability to play in exempt tournaments. We've done that in the past. We have it this year, playing in New York. So there's three right there." - Crean

 

"After the NCAA championships, both schools verbally agreed in principle to play for two years at neutral sites (December 8, 2012 and December 7 or 14, 2013) and agreed to revisit campus sites upon completion of the two-year deal," he said in a statement released by the athletic department. "The public comments by Indiana prior to (last week) led us to believe that our previous verbal agreement could be in jeopardy, but at no point did we ever have any mutual discussions with Indiana to end the series." - Barnhart

 

That seems pretty cut and dry......

I always liked the neutral site games, with the tickets divided evenly.

 

It'll never be neutral. The Hoosiers will head to ebay to make a buck on the BBN. So, sea of blue will be there no matter how you disperse the tix.

So Indiana pulled the plug, correct?

So Indiana pulled the plug, correct?

I would say both ends pulled apart the attached extension chord.

Kentucky refused Indiana's offer to play in Lucas Oil Stadium

 

LEXINGTON, KY. — According to a letter between athletic directors obtained by The Courier-Journal, Indiana University officials tried privately to save the long-running IU-Kentucky men’s basketball series even after the May 3 announcement that the rivalry had halted over a dispute about where to play the games.

The Wildcats, specifically coach John Calipari, preferred neutral sites for the series, while the Hoosiers wanted to keep it on campus. But a week after the public proclamation that the rivalry was over, IU athletic director Fred Glass reached out to Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart with a proposed compromise.

According to a letter from Glass to Barnhart dated May 25, IU was willing to play the next two years of the series at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis if the Cats would agree to play the 2014 game in Rupp Arena and 2015 in the Hoosiers’ Assembly Hall.

Glass wrote that playing December 2012 and 2013 games at Lucas Oil was “consistent with Coach Calipari’s previous offer to do so.” The proposed compromise, Glass wrote, was acceptable to Indiana because it would allow incoming freshmen students to see at least one IU-UK game in Bloomington during their college careers.

The letter also indicated that Indiana would be willing to change dates for 2012 — UK recently scheduled a game against Portland on the proposed Dec. 8 date — or even split the $100,000 buyout for that game.

This has become a peeing contest to try and justify who is less chicken.

Mitch's response....

 

Statement from Mitch Barnhart on the IU men's basketball series... - Kentucky Wildcats

 

We have held the last two games on our current schedule while continuing discussions with Indiana about playing this fall. December 15 and 22 are still options for the upcoming season and Lucas Oil Stadium is available for both dates. In the best interest of our fans, I would hope we can come to a conclusion to continue this storied series this December.

Why is Indiana dead set on having this as a home game? If they want the series played UK is willing to play it in Indiana the next two years. If that doesn't work for IU who will they get as good as UK willing to play them twice in a row in their state? UK holds the power hand here while IU whines and moans in public about it.

Why is Indiana dead set on having this as a home game? If they want the series played UK is willing to play it in Indiana the next two years. If that doesn't work for IU who will they get as good as UK willing to play them twice in a row in their state? UK holds the power hand here while IU whines and moans in public about it.

 

IU only proposed one home game, and it would have been in the 4th year of the contract. 2 years at Lucas Oil, 1 at Rupp and 1 in Bloomington. IU made that public. Where is the whining???

IU only proposed one home game, and it would have been in the 4th year of the contract. 2 years at Lucas Oil, 1 at Rupp and 1 in Bloomington. IU made that public. Where is the whining???

 

Making it public is whining. UK said no, but we'll play you the next 2 years in your state we aren't doing a 4 year deal. Why does that have to go public?

Making it public is whining. UK said no, but we'll play you the next 2 years in your state we aren't doing a 4 year deal. Why does that have to go public?

 

Making it public is nothing more than making it public. IU wants to play the series and presented a perfect compromise. UK played the standard our ish don't stink card. Bad for the game, but whatever...

Making it public is nothing more than making it public. IU wants to play the series and presented a perfect compromise. UK played the standard our ish don't stink card. Bad for the game, but whatever...

 

Meh.. UK will put together another great schedule with or without IU. UK is STILL offering options to play next year.

This has become a peeing contest to try and justify who is less chicken.

 

Indeed.

 

As a fan, I obviously want this series to continue on home courts. It's just better that way IMO. I get why UK wants to go away from that. I don't like it, but I get it. I also understand why IU wants Kentucky to come to their campus arena--according to them, at least once over a four year period.

 

UK will not back down on this. Per Mitch's response, he has clearly placed the ball in IU's court, giving them two December dates in which the teams could play at Lucas Oil.