Indianapolis ? Indiana coach Mike Davis hopped around, stomped his feet, argued with officials and then, finally, rewarded his players with hugs.

Davis overcame his most difficult obstacle as a head coach, beating Kentucky, with a perfect script.

Marco Killingsworth had 23 points and 11 rebounds, A.J. Ratliff added a career-high 21 points, and the 18th-ranked Hoosiers used a relentless defensive effort to rout No. 15 Kentucky, 79-53, on Saturday – ending Davis’ five-game drought against the rival Wildcats.

“It feels good because when the scores come on, I don’t have to turn it to the friggin’ Oxygen channel or something,” Davis said. “My wife knows and everyone knows that, in the past, I don’t have the TV on anything that has basketball scores on.”

That’s because the Kentucky game has been more like a nightmare than a game for Davis.

Indiana's Marshall Strickland, center, shoots around Kentucky's Ramel Bradley, left, during the second half. The Hoosiers routed the Wildcats, 79-53, Saturday in Indianapolis, ending IU coach Mike Davis' five-year victory drought against UK.

Five straight losses to the Wildcats always seemed to fuel speculation about his job security, but as much as the defeats hurt, there were Davis’ memorable outbursts – he once ran onto the court and berated an official and another time questioned whether he was the right man to lead the Hoosiers (5-2).

On Saturday, Davis had all the right answers.

Ratliff delivered a big-time game in his first start of the season, and Killingsworth showed he could find open teammates quicker when Kentucky (6-3) tried to double-team him. The combination put the Wildcats on their heels from the opening tip, and Indiana responded with its most lopsided victory in the 49-game series.

“They were obviously hungrier, more aggressive than we were,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. “When you go 2-for-27 (on threes) and have four assists and 19 turnovers, you’re not going to beat anybody.”

Somehow, Davis got his Hoosiers to again play with the passion and persistence that almost helped them upset No. 1 Duke last week, and the changes immediately were noticeable.

Rather than settling for long jumpers, the Hoosiers patiently worked for good shots and embarrassed the Wildcats in front of a crowd topping 28,000 – half clad in Kentucky blue, the other half in Indiana red.

The Hoosiers scored 25 points off Kentucky turnovers, and the Wildcats missed their first 20 three-pointers.

“When they beat you, they’re always bragging,” Killingsworth said. “One of their guys said ‘It’s about time you all beat us.’ I said, ‘You can say whatever you want, but you’ve got to go home five hours with a loss.'”

Rajon Rondo was the Wildcats’ top scorer, finishing with 21 points, most coming after the outcome already had been decided.

“We didn’t play with intensity, and we didn’t shoot the ball well at all,” Rondo said.