Big Blue Madness causes a craze in the city of Lexington

The greatest tradition in all of college basketball- that is Kentucky basketball, of course. Eight national championships, over 2,000 wins, and one of the best fan bases in the country. The hype of the college basketball season increases every year and it all begins with Big Blue Madness.

Big Blue Madness is ultimately the first open practice for UK’s men’s basketball team, but for the fans, it is more than it. Fans will camp out for days just to receive tickets to watch the team’s first practice. Two sets of tickets were even donated to HC to be given away, which as many would expect, caused a craze in the HC halls.

The Madness really comes at a perfect time for fans of all sports, towards the end of the football season. As many Kentucky fans would know, the football team is not typically a “contender” this late into the season, so it is good to get one’s mind off the atrocious football season and onto the highly touted basketball season.

The team is highlighted by freshmen Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox and they certainly lived up to the hype surrounding their name. Monk was the real standout of the scrimmage, pulling off an acrobatic 360 degree dunk, which for Kentucky fans is hopefully just a sample of what he can do during the season.

Big Blue Madness has the same type of atmosphere as a real game, which is another way the fans get involved with the team. Rupp Arena is considered to be one of the toughest arenas to play in for the road team and this is a huge advantage for UK. However, a regular season game will not have all the pyrotechnics and famous Coach Mitchell dances as Big Blue Madness does.

Big Blue Madness has been a Lexington tradition for years and looks to be one for years to come. The basketball program has a very bright future and as long as the team is winning, the fans will be loud, and possibly obnoxious at times, with their support.