The original “Dream Game” happened in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. That year Louisville defeated Kentucky 80-68 in the Mid East Regional Final. The game took place in Knoxville Tennessee. I wasn’t old enough to appreciate that game, so in 2012 I vowed that I would take full advantage of the moment. I wore my colors proudly all week. Then loaded up and headed to the Big Easy with a group of guys I had grown up arguing this rivalry with. One side of the car had a blue flag and the other side had a red one. When we reached Tennessee we stopped at a local restaurant for a meal. We walked in decked out in our colors and sat at the bar. Some of the local patrons asked if we were headed to the big game and then asked how we could all be friends while cheering for opposite teams. We explained to them about how that made this rivalry so special, and this game so big.

We reached New Orleans early Saturday morning and had an awesome time that day partaking in the festivities of the French Quarter. While there we met up with other friends and family to celebrate our teams’ achievements. Later that night we would attend the Final Four version of the Dream Game. My Cardinals gave a valiant effort and came up short against the arch rival Cats losing the game 69-61. But on this night and on this weekend in March I didn’t feel like there were any losers. It was just an awesome time to be a college basketball fan in the state of Kentucky.

This time it’s much different. When the brackets were reveled on selection Sunday and I seen the possibility of a potential Sweet 16 match-up with Kentucky I didn’t feel any type of excitement or jubilation. This past weekend when both teams advanced to the round of sixteen I didn’t feel excited about playing our arch rival again and if I’m being honest it really put a damper on the whole post season for me. I will be heading to Indianapolis on Friday afternoon, but this time I won’t be with my friends that cheer for Kentucky and this time there won’t be any meeting up for pre-game pleasantries. I will be with Louisville fans from beginning to end.

Maybe in 2012 knowing that both teams had won a regional championship and made it to the Final Four there was a sense of accomplishment without having to worry about who would win the game. Maybe I was just so thankful that our Cardinals had made it to the Final Four that year I didn’t even care about advancing any further. Or maybe this rivalry has become so hate filled, so vitriolic that it’s just not that much fun anymore.

I never thought I’d see the day where I didn’t love the rivalry between UK and UofL. I have defended it so many times to those who have claimed that they didn’t want to play it. I have been to 20 games between the Cardinals and the Cats. I used to look forward to this game more than any on the schedule, but something has changed. Back in December I was given the opportunity to watch the premiere of the Red vs. Blue movie. It was a fun night that I shared with my brother and his sons. They are UK fans and we’ve always had a good time with it. But attending the game in Rupp the next day didn’t make me feel the excitement it had in years past.