November 25, 1998
Columbia, Mo. - Two of the Midwest's traditional college basketball powers will soon become rivals, as the University of Missouri and Indiana University have agreed to a four-year contract in men's basketball, as announced today by MU Director of Athletics Michael Alden.
The contract calls for one game to be played in each of the next four seasons, beginning with a Dec. 7, 1999 tilt in Columbia, Mo., followed by a Dec. 17, 2000 date, in Bloomington, Ind. In the 2001-02 season, the teams will meet in the state of Missouri, with a date and site to be determined. A similar meeting is set for the 2002-03 season, in the state of Indiana, with a date and site to be determined.
"We're very pleased to announce this series," said Mike Alden. "This is a superb matchup for not only our fans, but for college basketball fans all over the country. The success of the two programs speaks volumes, and to have two legendary coaches such as Norm Stewart and Bobby Knight going head-to-head should prove to be very exciting," he said.
The future series will feature two of the top eight all-time winningest coaches in NCAA Division I history, in MU Head Coach Norm Stewart and Indiana Head Coach Bobby Knight. Knight entered the 1998-99 season seventh on the all-time list, with 719 career wins, while Stewart was close behind, with 711 career victories entering the year. Knight and Stewart currently rank 2-3 among winningest active coaches, as well, behind only James Phelan of St. Mary's, who entered the season with 785 wins.
"This is a series that a lot of people will be excited about," said Norm Stewart. "It's a good regional matchup, one that used to be a pretty big game back in its day. We look forward to making it a good rivalry once again," he said.
Indiana and Missouri have met 14 previous times, with the Hoosiers holding a slim 8-6 advantage in the series history. The two teams were once regular foes, as they met 12 times from 1954 through 1969. The last meeting between the two came during the 1995 NCAA Tournament, when Missouri opened tournament play with a 65-60 win, in Boise, Idaho.