Big Blue Madness Tickets

An annual basketball tradition that traces its roots back to over three decades is returning for this year's edition. Yes, it is time for the Big Blue Madness to take the center stage and UK basketball fans are buying Big Blue Madness tickets in big numbers.

A Little Glimpse Into History

The Big Blue Madness is an annual basketball tradition held for the University of Kentucky's basketball program and it goes back to the 1982-1983 campaign. UK's basketball coach Joe B. Hall wanted more enthusiasm from the fans with regards to the season and he decided to do something radical. The inspiration came from a special session that was held by the legendary coach Lefty Dreisell almost ten years prior.

Dreisell used to invite fans to watch their team being put through their paces on the very first day of the preseason and that too at midnight. Hall decided to do something along those lines and in October of 1982, held a similar event and named it the "Midnight Special."

The venue picked for the event was the Memorial Coliseum and over eight and a half thousand turned up to watch their team train live. It was a bigger success than anyone could have hoped for and it planted the seeds for an annual event. In 1983, an even bigger number of fans came to watch the Wildcats train. Ten thousand fans came to watch them and the Wildcats eventually ended up reaching the Final Four that year. Big Blue Madness grew in stature from that point onwards.

In 2005, construction took place at the practice facility used for basketball at the Memorial Coliseum and because of that the Big Blue Madness was held at the Rupp Arena. The UK fans set a new attendance record for a practice session.

The Kentucky Wildcats: A Legendary Team

The Kentucky Wildcats began their journey way back in the year 1903. That was the beginning of a journey that has put the Wildcats right up there as the best basketball program in history.

The Wildcats have recorded more wins and have a better winning percentage than any other men's basketball team in the NCAA Division I. It doesn't end there either. They have made fifty eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament which also makes them the program with most appearances in the tournament's history. As of the end of 2018 campaign, they also top the list of basketball programs with the most NCAA Tournament wins with one hundred and twenty six to their credit.

The Kentucky Wildcats have also made forty three NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances and have made it to the Elite Eight stage of the season thirty seven times, both records. They have also managed to win eight NCAA titles which puts them second only to UCLA who have won eleven. They also have the distinction of being the only school in history to have won more than one NIT and NCAA championships.

Rupp Arena: The Venue

The venue of the Big Blue Madness, the Rupp Arena is also the home of the Kentucky Wildcats. It is named after the legendary Wildcats coach, Adolph Rupp. It opened its doors for the first time in the year 1976 and Lawrence Welk has the honor of being the first person to perform there on October 17, 1976. The Rupp Arena highest attendance record was set on January 2, 2010 when a crowd of 24, 480 turned up to watch them beat Louisville 71-62.

The Wildcats became the first college basketball program to win two thousand games on December 21, 2009 when they defeated the Drexel University Dragons. The Wildcats racked up their five hundredth win at the Rupp Arena on November 27, 2013 by defeating the Eastern Michigan.

The Rupp Arena is the biggest arena in the US that was specifically made for basketball. The Wildcats are second on the list of college basketball teams in terms of home attendance too. Now they are about to kick-off their preseason preparations and you can be a part of it too. All you have to do is book your Big Blue Madness tickets.