Early meetings and dormancy (1913–1922)

The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville contested their first recorded men's basketball games beginning in 1913, with follow-up meetings through the early 1920s that never coalesced into a steady series [7][5]. Games during this era were arranged irregularly: travel costs, differing conference affiliations, and institutional priorities limited repeat scheduling between the two programs [7]. Kentucky, under the shadow of its developing coaching traditions in the 1920s and later the Adolph Rupp era, focused on building a regional and national schedule; Louisville's program likewise pursued localized matchups and its own growth trajectory [3][7]. The result is a record of isolated early contests rather than an annualized rivalry. Contemporary media guides and historical game lists show gaps of multiple years between meetings in this period, reflecting how the matchup existed but did not yet command the statewide calendar slot it would occupy in later decades [5][3]. These early meetings are recorded in summary histories of both programs and compiled series lists, which document scores and dates where available but also highlight the irregular nature of the schedule between 1913 and 1922 [5].

The sporadic early meetings establish that Kentucky–Louisville competition predates the mid-century coaching icons and modern scheduling, demonstrating the rivalry's deep roots in Kentucky collegiate basketball culture [7][5]. Understanding the dormancy clarifies why later renewed encounters — especially tournament and high-profile late-20th-century games — felt like revivals rather than continuations. The early pattern also explains later institutional debates about whether to schedule annually or preserve infrequent, high-profile meetings [3].

After the 1920s dormancy, both programs pursued separate trajectories that limited regular meetings for decades: Kentucky rose under Adolph Rupp to national prominence while Louisville built regional strength, particularly under later coach Denny Crum. Those divergent paths set the stage for sporadic tournament encounters and the intense public interest when the teams met in marquee settings much later in the 20th century [3][7]. The early irregularity remained part of the rivalry's narrative even as the series gained renewed prominence in the 1970s and 1980s [5].