Big Blue Madness tickets will be available this week. Here’s how to get them
Tickets for this year’s Big Blue Madness — the annual season-opening event for the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams — will be made available to fans Friday.
UK announced Tuesday afternoon that Madness tickets will be passed out via an online distribution process. Fans can attempt to get tickets starting at 5 p.m. ET Friday via Ticketmaster.com or the Ticketmaster app.
The tickets will be free, but the online process will include a “minimal” service fee. There will also be a limit of four tickets per household. There will be no in-person ticket distribution or campout this year.
Big Blue Madness will be held at 6 p.m. ET Oct. 11 in Rupp Arena. It will also be televised on SEC Network+.
This will be the second Madness event for UK men’s coach Mark Pope and women’s coach Kenny Brooks, who were both hired last year. Pope’s Cats are expected to be ranked in the top-10ish range when the first Associated Press Top 25 poll is released next month, and Brooks is also expected to have a Top 25-caliber squad for the 2025-26 season.
Last year’s Madness served as an introduction to both coaches and their teams. The night also featured the return to Rupp for former UK coach Rick Pitino, who is now entering his third season as head coach at St. John’s, as well as an appearance by Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops.
The event typically features introductions and scrimmages for both the men’s and women’s teams, as well as 3-point shooting contests and a slam-dunk competition for the men’s squad.
The 2025 edition of Madness will also feature the “BBN United Fan Fest,” which will include appearances by UK basketball staff members and former players. It will also feature autograph sessions with players, coaches and alumni, as well as photo opportunities with championship trophies and other UK basketball memorabilia.
The Fan Fest will be open to Madness ticket holders, with more details to be announced soon.
All of the tickets to last year’s Big Blue Madness were distributed within 24 minutes of being made available to the public.
Kentucky-St. John’s tipoff time set
Kentucky’s game against St. John’s in this season’s CBS Sports Classic will tip off at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 20. The game, which will mark the first career coaching matchup between Pope and Pitino, will take place at State Farm Arena and air on CBS and stream live on Paramount+.
The second game of the doubleheader event, featuring North Carolina and Ohio State, will follow at 3 p.m.
Tickets go on sale to the public at 11 a.m. Thursday at the CBS Sports Classic website. Fans who preordered via the UK Ticket Office do not need to order online.
.JPG "LEX_23_241011UKmenMadnessMain_rh (3).JPG")
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM.
