Illinois–Indiana rivalry

American college multi-sports rivalry From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Illinois–Indiana rivalry is a college sports rivalry between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the Indiana University Hoosiers.[1] The rivalry between these bordering-state schools dates back to 1899 when the Indiana Hoosiers joined the Big Ten Conference of which Illinois is a founding member.[2] The rivalry is most prominent in men's basketball, where both teams are perennial contenders of the Big Ten Championship. In football, the rivalry is less intense, but notable for the two school's geographic proximity, the history and longevity of the series with 74 total meetings dating back to 1899 and their status as a previously "protected rivalry" in the Big Ten.[3][4]

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Illinois–Indiana rivalry
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This multi-sports rivalry is further hallmarked by the two schools' similarities. Both schools are flagship universities in bordering states in the Midwest, both schools start with the letter "I", both schools are longtime members of the Big Ten Conference, both school's mascots are named after their respective state's demonym and both schools play their home football games in a stadium named "Memorial Stadium."[5] Additionally, in basketball, the Indiana Hoosiers play their home games in Assembly Hall while the Illinois Fighting Illini play their home games in State Farm Center, which was formerly named Assembly Hall.

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Men's basketball

Illinois and Indiana first met on January 20, 1906, with an Illinois victory, 27–24. The location of the game alternates between Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington and the State Farm Center, formerly Assembly Hall, in Champaign. There have been a total of five overtime games in this series.[6]

In mid-1980s Indiana head coach Bob Knight brought allegations to the NCAA that Illinois assistant coaches had acted improperly in the recruitment of Lowell Hamilton. Hamilton was the focus of a recruiting competition between Illinois and Indiana, and while the allegations of improper conduct were unfounded by the NCAA, the controversy had some level of impact on the games at the time.[7]

Quick facts Sport, First meeting ...
Illinois–Indiana men's basketball rivalry
SportCollege basketball
First meetingJanuary 20, 1906
Illinois 27 – Indiana 24
Latest meetingFebruary 15, 2026
Illinois 71 – Indiana 51
StadiumsState Farm Center,
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall
Statistics
Meetings total190
All-time seriesIndiana leads, 96–94
Largest victoryIndiana, 107–67 (1974)
Longest win streakIndiana, 9 (1972–1977)
Current win streakIllinois, 3 (2024–present)
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On March 10, 1991, after an Indiana victory in Champaign, a profanity-laced shouting match between Knight and Fighting Illini coach Lou Henson erupted outside the team locker rooms. The incident started when Knight left the Assembly Hall court with seven seconds remaining in the game, skipping the traditional postgame handshake while laughing and waving to the Illinois crowd. This incident enraged Henson to the point of confronting Knight outside of the locker room. Henson's anger continued as he spoke out against Knight at the postgame press conference.

"What do you expect out of Knight? He`s a classic bully. I was in the (Indiana) locker room, he jumped on me and I wanted him to come outside. He intimidates the Big 10 office; he tries to intimidate everybody. His entire life is based on intimidation, but the big bully won`t intimidate me."

In a game at Bloomington on February 25, 1998, Indiana head coach Bob Knight was issued two technical fouls by referee Ted Valentine for first arguing a call after a hard collision between Illinois guard Sergio McClain and Indiana guard Luke Recker in which McClain was issued a technical foul for touching the rim after blocking Recker's shot. Coach Knight argued the call should have been goaltending. From the collision, Recker fell hard to the court in pain. To check on his player, Coach Knight rushed to the court for which he was issued the second technical foul by Valentine.[9]

Occasional feuds and incidents between the schools' programs have fueled the competition over the years. Illinois has dominated Indiana in the short history of the Big Ten tournament. Since the onset of the conference tournament, Illinois and Indiana have played a total of 9 times. Illinois holds the record of 6–3 over Indiana. In the 1999 Big Ten tournament the Hoosiers and the Illini faced each other and Illinois won the game 82–66. Illinois would go on to win 4 of the next 5 tournament meetings.[6]

Another feud is less focused on the tension between the two schools, but rather a former Illinois head coach and his ties to Indiana. Bruce Weber coached the Fighting Illini from 2003 to 2012, but the history between Weber and Indiana began before he set foot in Champaign. As head coach at Southern Illinois University for five years from 1998 to 2003, he scheduled some non-conference meetings against Indiana. Before that, Weber served as an assistant coach under Gene Keady at Purdue University for 18 years. During his tenure at Illinois, Weber noted that there was tension between himself and Indiana (see Indiana–Purdue rivalry).[10]

In 2007 there was a recruiting battle between the schools over Indiana Mr. Basketball, Eric Gordon. Gordon initially verbally committed to play for Illinois.[11] However, when Mike Davis resigned as Indiana's head coach and Kelvin Sampson was hired, Gordon decommitted and signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Indiana.[12]

Game results

Illinois victoriesIndiana victoriesTie games
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By decade (through 2026)

Illinois advantage Indiana advantageTie
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DecadeIllinoisIndiana
1900 32
1910 102
192046
193067
1940 65
195099
196068
1970612
1980812
1990812
2000 147
2010711
202073
Total9496
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Football

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Illinois–Indiana football rivalry
SportAmerican football
First meetingOctober 14, 1899
Indiana 5, Illinois 0
Latest meetingSeptember 20, 2025
Indiana 63, Illinois 10
Next meeting2027
StadiumsGies Memorial Stadium (Illinois)
Memorial Stadium (Indiana)
TrophyNone
Statistics
Meetings total74
All-time seriesIllinois leads 46–26–2
Largest victoryIndiana, 63–10 (2025)
Longest win streakIllinois, 6 (1981–86)
Current win streakIndiana, 1 (2025–present)
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From 2014 to 2023, the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Indiana Hoosiers were in opposite divisions within the Big Ten Conference (Indiana was in the East Division and Illinois was in the West Division).[25] For this reason, the two teams were not required to play each other every season, whereas if they had been in the same division, there would have been annual meetings.[26][27] From 2011 to 2013, the two teams were "protected rivals" as members of the Big Ten's non-geographically organized "Leaders" division, which required them to play annually.[28][29] The conference eliminated its divisional format for 2024 and beyond; only protected rivalries now compete annually, and Illinois–Indiana was not included as a protected rivalry,[30] dropped in favor of Illinois–Purdue.[31][32]

Game results

Illinois victoriesIndiana victoriesTie games
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By decade (through 2025)

Illinois advantage Indiana advantageTie
More information Decade, Indiana ...
DecadeIllinoisIndianaTie
1890s1
1900s 611
1910s 41
1920s 1
1930s22
1940s22
1950s 21
1960s33
1970s 53
1980s 82
1990s 42
2000s 64
2010s23
2020s12
Total 46262
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See also

References

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