Kentucky basketball is getting a new court. A much-maligned feature will be missing.
Those Kentucky basketball fans who had long been critical of a design element of the Rupp Arena court had reason to rejoice Tuesday afternoon.
UK has announced a new redesign to the home of the Wildcats, and it’s expected to debut next month — without a feature that has drawn the ire of Big Blue Nation over the past few years.
The new Rupp Arena court will still feature the interlocking UK logo at its center, but this redesign will also include a shaded outline of the state of Kentucky stretching for most of the length of the floor.
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The good news for many UK fans: those rectangular, blue “Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center” designs that featured prominently in two places on the court will be no more. They were commonly — and critically — referred to as “bumper stickers” over the past few seasons.
In their place will be more discreet “Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center” logos in the same locations, but smaller and without the blue-box outlines.
Another feature of the current court that has drawn criticism from some fans — the faint blue checkerboard pattern that borders the entire playing area on the sidelines and baselines — will also be disappear. The new border will be painted solid “Kentucky Blue,” according to UK.
The Cawood’s Court logo — honoring legendary UK broadcaster Cawood Ledford — will remain on the sideline. The logo honoring longtime equipment manager Bill Keightley — known as “Mr. Wildcat” — will also remain in front of the UK bench area.
The new court is expected to be installed ahead of Kentucky’s home game against UNC Wilmington on Dec. 2.
The current court design was introduced for the 2020-21 season. The new court will replace the playing surface that was originally installed in 2001.
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 1:31 PM.
