Campout for tickets again not part of Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness
Kentucky announced details on two annual fixtures of its basketball preseason on Friday.
Big Blue Madness will be on Oct. 15. The Blue-White Game will be Oct. 22. Both events will be at Rupp Arena. Each is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
In a break in tradition caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the free tickets for Madness will not be distributed at Memorial Coliseum as part of a fan campout because of health and safety guidelines, UK said in a news release.
Ticket information for both Madness and the Blue-White Game will be announced at a later date.
Big Blue Madness, which has been a part of UK basketball since the early 1980s, will again serve as a formal introduction of the men’s and women’s teams along with basketball-themed entertainment.
Madness will be in Rupp Arena for the 16th time. It began at Memorial Coliseum, then returned there last year as a TV-only event due to the pandemic.
Kentucky expects to soon announce regular-season schedules for both the men’s and women’s teams, the school said.
Although the men’s team is coming off a 9-16 season (only the program’s second losing record since 1927), UK touted this coming season’s team as a “Final Four contender” and one of nation’s more experienced teams.
Both contentions are presumably based on the transfers who have joined the program: big man Oscar Tshiebwe, shooters Kellen Grady and CJ Fredrick, and point guard Sahvir Wheeler.
The women’s team was a fixture in the AP Top 25 all of last season. Kyra Elzy became the first coach of the women’s team to reach the NCAA Tournament in her first season as coach.
Returning first-team All-American Rhyne Howard heads the squad’s veteran corps.
Season-ticket renewals for the 2021-22 season are now available for both the men’s and women’s teams. The renewal deadline for men’s tickets is Sept. 9. That date for women’s tickets is Sept. 16.
Renewals are available online through each season ticket holder’s My UK Athletics Account. Printable invoices are also available online by visiting My UK Athletics Account for those who wish to complete their renewal by mail. Fans needing assistance with their online account are encouraged to contact the UK Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818 (option 4) or send an email to uktickets@uky.edu.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 2:54 PM.
