The UK, Indiana rivalry heats up in 1975 after Knight, Hall slap
On March 22, 1975, the UK and IU rivalry was ramping up to an epic showdown.
The unbeaten Indiana University Hoosiers were facing off against the University of Kentucky Wildcats in Dayton, Ohio. It was more than just a game — it was personal.
Months before, IU men’s basketball coach Bobby Knight had slapped Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall on the back of the head after the Hoosiers beat the Wildcats by more than 20 points, in a moment that’s still talked about in college basketball history.
Hall was in his second year of coaching at UK after Adolph Rupp’s retirement. His team included Jack Givens, Bob Guyette, James Lee, Rick Robey, Mike Phillips, Jimmy Dan Conner and Mike Flynn.
On Dec. 7, 1974, the Cats played the Hoosiers in Bloomington where Indiana defeated them 98-74.
Before that season, Hall and Knight had been hunting and fishing buddies. With Indiana up more than 20 points, Hall said he was tired of Knight constantly complaining to officials about calls.
“Joe politely said, ‘Come on, Bobby, you’re up by 25’ and ‘Give us a break,’” Conner told the Herald-Leader’s John Clay earlier this year when the 1974-1975 team reunited in Rupp Arena. “Bobby’s response started with an ‘f’ and ended with a ‘u.’
“And Joe took a little offense to that. I actually could hear the conversation,” Conner said. “And so, Joe pointed. He made a mistake. He turned his head and he pointed over to the exit sign. He said, ‘I would like to take you over to that exit sign and kick your (butt).’”
It was then that Knight hit Hall.
Hall’s glasses flew off his head and assistant coach Lynn Nance, a retired FBI agent, jumped up to go after Knight. Another Kentucky coach, Leonard Hamilton draped himself over Nance to keep him from attacking Knight. Givens later said it was the only time in his career he came close to being in a brawl.
After the incident, IU officials asked Hall to make peace with Knight and walk off the court together.
Hall said he’d rather fight Knight. Knight, ever the gentleman, flipped him the bird and repeated his previous epithet.
The incident ended the friendship and deepened the already intense rivalry at the time between UK and IU.
When it came to tournament time, IU had an unbeaten record. And the Hoosiers were on UK’s side of the bracket. Hall later said he knew for them to win, they and their 31-0 record had to go through UK first.
Hall had studied their loss to IU that year. Gone was the 1-3-1 zone. The team switched to a man-to-man defense. Hall told Conner and Flynn to let the baskets fly. The two of them had 33 shots and 39 points. Hall told his team to flatten any Hoosier who tried to set a screen.
By halftime, the score was tied at 44.
During the break, Hall said he wrote four words on the blackboard: “Nets! Bus! Police! Coliseum!” Instead of a rousing halftime speech, Hall told the team about what to do when they won.
“Use the scissors when you cut the nets down today,” Hall told The Athletic in 2020. “I don’t want anybody on the ladder with a knife in their hand. And I want everybody going home with us on the team bus, nobody with parents.
“I want all of us together for that ride home, because when we cross the state line, the Kentucky State Police are going to be there to escort us all the way home,” Hall continued. “And we’ll go to the Coliseum, which will be monitored by a blind fire marshal who won’t see a thing when they pack that place for the largest and longest celebration of a win in the history of Kentucky basketball.”
Fueled by a drive to avenge Hall and their spanking in Bloomington, the Cats did go on to win. And they did cut down the net. And they were met at the state line.
And they did have the largest victory party for a non-championship win ever.
That year, they didn’t win the tournament though, losing to John Wooden’s UCLA in the final round. The championship wouldn’t come until 1978.
But still, Hall said taking that undefeated season from his one-time friend was the best victory of them all.
