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Indiana University and the University of Louisville have agreed on a three-game basketball series that will begin in 2016. The Hoosiers and Cardinals will play the first of the three games in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on New Year's Eve. The 2017 contest will be played at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville before the series finale is played in 2018 at Assembly Hall.
Indiana and Louisville have agreed to a basketball series to begin in 2016-17. First game at Bankers Life on Dec. 31, 2016. #iubb
— Mike Miller (@MikeMillerHT) August 21, 2015
Indiana's basketball schedule for 2016 now includes a meeting with Kansas at Pearl Harbor, the Louisville matchup, a game with Butler at Banker's Life, and the ACC/Big Ten Challenge game, all of which should silent critics who have lambasted the program's scheduling efforts in the past.
Indiana head coach Tom Crean noted the challenge in facing Louisville, saying, "The preparation and execution needed to compete against Rick Pitino and his team is extraordinary. We are excited about the opportunity to face them on a consistent basis and the chance for both schools' fan bases to watch this series take off again is exciting."
The two schools have also agreed on a three-game football series to being in 2023, with the Indianapolis-Louisville-Bloomington rotation being used again. The first contest will be at Lucas Oil Stadium, followed by a home and home at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and Memorial Stadium.
There will be a 3-game series for football, too. Sept. 16, 2023 at Lucas Oil, Sept. 7, 2024 at Louisville, Sept. 6, 2025 at Btown. #iufb
— Mike Miller (@MikeMillerHT) August 21, 2015
Though the football series is not on the immediate horizon, Kevin Wilson says there's plenty of reasons for coaches and fans to be excited. "It is awesome for both fan bases and we expect huge crowds. We also look forward to playing in Lucas Oil Stadium again. It is a win across the board."
The entire press release can be read here.
This story will be updated as necessary.