Jack's Take: Kentucky Returns to Assembly Hall in 2028, But Don’t Expect To See John Calipari

If Kentucky coach John Calipari’s prior comments about Indiana fans and Assembly Hall, as well as his nonconference scheduling trends, are any indication, don’t expect to see him in 2028 when Kentucky ends a 17-year drought of playing at Assembly Hall.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana and Kentucky will renew their rivalry with a four-game series beginning in 2025-26, and that's great for college basketball.

The sport thrives when featuring heated rivalries, and that’s what Indiana-Kentucky used to be. The series produced a number of iconic moments when it took place annually from 1969 to 2011, including Kentucky’s last trip to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in 2011, when Christian Watford downed the No. 1-ranked Wildcats with a 3-point buzzer-beater.

That game is notable in a number of ways. It’s the most recent regular season matchup between Indiana and Kentucky, and what happened in that game contributed to the eventual 14-year gap between regular season games, the series’ longest since 1944-65.

Indiana fans stormed the court, and because of that, Calipari has repeatedly stated his displeasure with fans at Assembly Hall.

"We don't have obnoxious – well, we may, but I never hear them – but we don't treat the other team with disrespect,” Calipari said in 2014. “If we won a game against the No. 1 team in the country in Rupp Arena, would people charge the court? No. You're supposed to [win]. You're Kentucky. We don't do that here."

"Other people get involved [and say] you’ve got to come to our place," Calipari said in 2016. "No, we’re not coming to Indiana."

It's 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠. pic.twitter.com/ayD9z36kNU

— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) October 3, 2023

So when the new four-game series was announced Tuesday, one detail stood out in particular.

• Dec. 20, 2025: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
• Dec. 27, 2026: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
• Dec. 18, 2027: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
• Dec. 16, 2028: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

Two games will take place at Kentucky’s home arena, and one will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium before finally returning to Assembly Hall after a 17-year hiatus.

But don’t expect to see Calipari step foot on Branch McCracken Court when that day comes. He’s appeared terrified to do so for years, and he likely won’t be Kentucky’s coach by then. Connect the dots, and you’ll see why.

The final game of the four-year series happens in the final year of Calipari’s current 10-year contract that extends through June 30, 2029. He’ll be 70 by then, which alone doesn’t make it impossible for him to still be coaching – Mike Woodson will be 71. But based on past comments, Calipari wouldn’t have agreed to this series if he thought he’d still be coaching Kentucky.

Kentucky fans aren’t exactly happy with his recent coaching performances, either. Kentucky missed the NCAA tournament in 2021, got upset by No. 15 seed St. Peter’s the following year and most recently lost in the Round of 32 as a No. 6 seed. Calipari has had a good run at Kentucky, but don’t expect him to be there 20 years.

Look at Kentucky’s nonconference scheduling history, and this becomes even more obvious. Calipari scheduled a six-game series against Gonzaga, but the Wildcats conveniently won’t play at Gonzaga’s home arena until the sixth and final game during the 2027-28 season, one year before Kentucky is scheduled to play at Assembly Hall.

Sure, Kentucky also plays teams like Kansas, North Carolina and Miami this year. But none of those games are at their opponents’ home arenas. A coach willing to play true road games against marquee opponents during nonconference play wouldn’t schedule that way.

Indiana’s news release from Tuesday states, “To provide more Hoosier fans with an opportunity to witness an IU-UK game firsthand, IU has elected to hold one of its home contests at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.”

Lucas Oil Stadium’s capacity does open the door for more Indiana fans to see a game, compared to Assembly Hall. WDRB.com’s Rick Bozich also reported Tuesday that Indiana will control the majority of 43,000 tickets, as this leg of the series is considered an Indiana home game. Fans will come in droves to create an electric atmosphere, but the game is during students’ winter break and won’t be the same home-court advantage as the Hoosiers have in Bloomington.

Plenty of Indiana-Kentucky games have been played at a neutral site, but Indiana’s reason behind playing at Lucas Oil Stadium instead of Assembly Hall comes off as a way to spin what really may have happened: It could be that Calipari refused to play at Assembly Hall in 2026, but he knew he’d be gone in 2028. So in order to ensure the series still goes on, Indiana compromised that one of its “home games” will be at Lucas Oil Stadium.

At the end of the day, it’s better that the rivalry will be renewed as soon as possible, no matter the location. But what makes college basketball special are rivalry games played on campus, and it’s too bad Calipari’s stubbornness got in the way.

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