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Kentucky fans got to get their first look at both the women’s and men’s 2024-2025 basketball squads at Rupp Arena for Big Blue Madness which signifies to most the start of basketball season. When fans first arrived at Rupp Arena they were met with Kentucky’s new all entertainment and magnificent glass floor video board, Kentucky is the first collegiate program in the country to use the ASB GlassFloor which is the first of it kind in the basketball world the floor has already been used at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, the U19 Women’s World Cup, and other events. The floor can create a variety of video formats and designs with its cutting technology, which had fans extremely excited to see the floor in person.
What fans didn’t see again this year was the Blue Carpet which featured both the women’s and men’s teams along with head coaches Kenny Brooks and Mak Pope. This was the first taste of Madness for most of the rosters and staff. Players were swagged out from head to toe including the coaches but nobody took the Blue Carpet by storm the way “First Lady” Lee Anne Pope did with her outfit and the media attention she received on the carpet.
Once inside Rupp the Kentucky women’s basketball team and new head coach Kenny Brooks were introduced to the crowd. The players were a great start but not many could get ready for what coach Brooks did which was to come out of the depths of Rupp Arena to the song “Big Dawgs” with his staff following along the way to a roar of ovations from Kentucky fans from top to bottom. Brooks took time to talk about his team and the promising players he had on his roster and left by saying “we’re going to win championships.” Then it was time for the women’s skills challenge, hotspot and 3 point contest. The blue squad showed out during the skills competition while Amelia Hassett & Teoni Key finished with 27 points to win the hot spot competition and Charlotte transfer Dazia Lawrence took home the 3 point contest championship.
The men’s basketball team introduction soon followed but not with your traditional intros, the players came out among the fans throughout the arena. Fans were excited about Kerr Kriisa’s dance or even Trent Noah’s “Never Leave Harlan Alive” introduction, but many fans roared with excitement with Lamont Butler’s introduction in which he came out to his own song “Wildcat” with lyrics based on the UKMBB team and teammates. The introduction most had waited for was Coach Pope who traveled to the court from top row of Rupp, he ripped his jacket open revealing a 1996 #41 Pope Jersey to a loud roar of Kentucky fans. This marked basketball time in the Bluegrass. Pope took the mic and made it known the Kentucky expectation is to win banners and said “This is Kentucky’s Team.”
The men’s team started to get loose with shooting drills to get the blood pumping as they concluded warm-up drills, they would start with the 3 point contest which sought two Kentucky kids in the finals in Trent Noah and Travis Perry which would see Lyon County’s Travis Perry take home the 3 point contest championship. Next up was the finals of the dunk contest which was not really close as Collin Chandler would jump over Mark Pope (6’10”) and Lee Anne Pope for a high flying slam dunk with the number 41 jersey on as the crowd erRUPPted.
There was one last surprise, as members of each of Kentucky’s National Championships and members of other great Kentucky teams entered the court with Championship trophies, the last member was no other than 1996 National Championship and Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino who was suppose to be in town for the Kentucky versus Vanderbilt game but because of some late practice arrangements
Pitino was able to make Big Blue Madness. Pitino said “I am so happy to be back, I said before I pack it in, in coaching, I want to go back to Camelot for one more time. There is no way I could return better. This is one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time because I visited all my players. I visited the fans that made me happy every single day for eight years.” Pitino who almost shed a tear or two was back in his rightful color and back in his Old Kentucky home for maybe the final time.
The next time you can get a chance to see the men’s and women’s team will be at the Kentucky Blue-White game on Friday, October 18th at 6 PM inside the newly renovated Historical Memorial Coliseum, the game however will not be televised as it’s a NIL event to raise money for both programs. The game will be a scrimmage format to allow fans to get a full look before the season starts for both programs.
