Indiana and Kentucky were once rivals in college basketball, two of the most prestigious programs. They haven’t played since 2016, making this matchup in Rupp Arena one of the biggest games on the entire non-con slate this season.
But after both teams went through recent rough stretches, neither team is ranked heading into this Saturday's battle. In fact, the loser of this game will be facing even bigger questions as to how viable a contender they’ll be the rest of the way.
Here are some specific storylines and questions to watch for this game.
1. Mark Pope’s efforts to turn the ship around
One of the more dramatic storylines so far this college basketball season has been the post-game press conferences with Coach Pope after some rough losses. In the win over NC Central, he admitted that he benched both Jaland Lowe and Kam Williams in the first half after rough practices, while Brandon Garrison played just seven minutes due to poor effort.
Mark Pope on Brandon Garrison after benching him earlier this week:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 12, 2025
"He won every single sprint in our conditioning session yesterday. It was awesome… Growing is hard, growing is ugly. I’m proud of his response. It’s gotta translate in-game, but I’m really proud of him” 👀 pic.twitter.com/tZRciiRLeP
Will the Wildcats play better now that there’s no-nonsense being allowed? The effort will be one of the biggest things to watch for the team, especially with this being a home game. We’ll see if they get booed the same way they did against Gonzaga.
2. Lamar Wilkerson against the team he almost transferred to
Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson had one of the best shooting performances you'll ever see in a college game 🔥
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 10, 2025
- 44 points
- 24 minutes
- 16-22 FG (10-15 3PT) pic.twitter.com/bqtFjFQqZq
After a 44-point outing last game against Penn State, Wilkerson now leads Indiana with 18.8 ppg on 42% three-point shooting. In the offseason, the senior guard was reportedly linked to Kentucky before ultimately picking the Hoosiers. He versus Otega Oweh of Kentucky will be one of the key matchups to watch, with Wilkerson’s output being one of the most significant factors of the game.
3. Battle of the maligned frontcourts
Guard and wing play hasn’t been an issue with either team, compared to the frontcourts. For Kentucky, they’ve been missing ASU transfer center Jayden Quaintance, with freshman Malachi Moreno and Garrison struggling against good frontcourts. Indiana’s duo of Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey has been better, but they’ve also had issues against better teams.
If the perimeter players manage to cancel each other out, it could come down to which group of big men plays better in this matchup.