Big Blue Madness 2023 is in the books. KSR had boots on the ground at Rupp Arena and another pair on the coffee table at home to cover the unofficial tipoff to the 2023-24 Kentucky Basketball season. What happened? Was the event a boom or bust? The KSR crew is here to break it down for you.

“Before the Madness” returns

Big Blue Madness is turning into more than just the two-hour pep rally. For the third straight year, “Before the Madness” took place inside the Central Bank Convention Center attached to Rupp Arena. It’s basically like a mini-state fair: a petting zoo with donkeys, sheep, and an alpaca; inflatables; an entire e-sports gaming setup equipped with Mario Kart, NBA2K, and much more; along with plenty of food and drink. A handful of players from both the men’s and women’s teams were wandering around too, enjoying the various activities and taking pictures with fans.

I had the pleasure of taking Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ to his first-ever Before the Madness in the hours leading up to BBM. He got to pet a sheep, shoveled down two glasses worth of ice covered with a red syrup that was — for some reason — called “Tiger’s Blood,” and posed in front of some customized backdrops that were provided. I think he had fun (outside of losing 28-24 in our pop-a-shot duel). He even walked away with a free t-shirt and water bottle. I’ve never seen someone happier.

— Zack Geoghegan

Zvonimir Ivisic makes his Wildcat debut

Ivisic has been in the United States for all of 24 hours and still managed to make his unofficial debut as a Wildcat. He arrived with the team and walked the Big Blue Carpet, his first look at the bright lights and cameras of Lexington.

No time to come up with an extravagant outfit like his teammates, but a Kentucky letterman jacket, Calvin Klein t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers did the trick.

As for his introduction to Big Blue Nation for the first time? Well, that was pretty special. Big Z walked through the smoke and fireworks, down the steps, and through the runway to the very end. There, he paused for a brief second to soak in the experience, hearing the fans’ roar for the first time.

Not too bad for a ‘welcome to college basketball’ moment.

When it came time for actual basketball activities, Ivisic’s time on the floor was limited, but enough to make a quick splash. He got out there for the layup lines and threw down a couple of strong dunks before watching the remainder of the event from the sideline.

A few tomahawks and windmills served as the perfect appetizer for the real stuff. When could that be? Calipari said to close out the event Ivisic would make his scrimmage debut next week at the Blue-White Game in Northern Kentucky, encouraging fans to purchase the remainder of the thousand-plus tickets available. All proceeds will benefit the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund and the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.

Ivisic didn’t come down from the rafters like John Wall or roll out his luggage with a neck pillow like he came straight from the airport, but his first appearance and the warm welcome was plenty fun.

— Jack Pilgrim

BOOGIE!!!!

Big Blue Madness is no longer the star-studded event it once was, but one former Kentucky Wildcat made a point to stop by Rupp Arena while in Lexington for a wedding. One of Big Blue Nation’s favorites, DeMarcus Cousins, walked out from behind the curtain after the player introductions to greet the fan base. After Cousins said hello to BBN, he turned and welcomed John Calipari to the stage for Calipari’s annual walkout and speech.

Cousins sat courtside for the men’s 3-point contest, dunk contest, and team scrimmage. At one point, he posed for a photo with Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso, and Zvonimir Ivisic. Past meets present.

— Drew Franklin

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A new Rupp food item?!

I’m no food critic, but here I go anyway!

Every year, the Rupp Arena concessions team puts their collective minds together to think up a brand-new menu item for the hungry Big Blue Nation fans. Last season, it was a basket of loaded nachos (and I do mean loaded) dropped inside half of a plastic, hollowed-out basketball — a souvenir, gimmicky take on a classic appetizer, but also one that was incredibly delicious and filling. If you haven’t had it yet, I would suggest shelling out the $16 the next time you come to Rupp. Plus, you’ve got a free basketball hat once you’re finished. What a deal!

As for the new item? We’ve got a monster hotdog stock-piled with goodies. This souped-up glizzy, nicknamed “The Southern Hound,” is a huge andouille sausage topped with southern slaw, dill pickles, crisp bacon, bourbon mustard, and crispy fried onions, all piled on one soft hotdog bun. It might take you 15 minutes to eat (and several napkins will be needed), but it’s a cool twist compared to the regular hotdog with mustard that’s been served since the beginning of time.

If I’m being honest with a ranking, I’d give it a 5/10 — not nearly as good as the basketball nachos, but I’m also not one to order something like that when out and about on my own. I got this for research purposes only. You’re welcome.

— Zack Geoghegan

What we saw from Kentucky WBB

To little surprise, senior guard Maddie Scherr was named the women’s MVP. She won the 3-Point Contest over fifth-year senior Emma King by a score of 15-13. Scherr dropped 18 points during her opening round. Although you can’t take much (if anything) from these types of contests, one thing I did notice was how much smoother Scherr’s shot looks compared to last year. That’s good news, considering she shot 33.6 percent from deep this past season and will be relied upon heavily to score for the Wildcats this season.

As for the scrimmage, it was only a six-minute run for the ladies. The Blue Team came away with the win over the White Team, 20-6. Sophomore Amiya Jenkins canned some three-pointers and Scherr looked like the team leader we’re all expecting her to be. The best player introductions easily came from Baltimore natives and close friends, Eniya Russell and Ajae Petty, who showed off some moves as they danced down the stage.

But the coolest part of the night for the women’s team came before all of that. During the introductions, every former Kentucky WBB head coach was brought onto the stage to be recognized as the program celebrates 50 years of history this season. Sue Feamster (71-76), Debbie Yow (76-80), Terry Hall (80-87), Sharon Fanning (87-95), Bernadette Maddox (95-03), Mickie DeMoss (03-07), and Matthew Mitchell (07-20) were all recognized while wearing matching jackets. Yow was unable to make the event while Hall, who is deceased, was represented by a family member. A very, very cool idea from current head coach Kyra Elzy.

— Zack Geoghegan

The Men’s Basketball Intro Video was incredible

I’ll admit, the first hour of Madness didn’t do much for me. No offense to the women’s basketball team or the cheerleaders, but my mind started to drift well before the event hit the midway mark. Thankfully, the Kentucky Wildcats TV staff pulled me back in with one of the best intro videos I’ve seen in years.

Set to a cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” the montage included highlights from the past 60+ years of Kentucky Basketball and reminded me of how good it feels when the Cats are at the top. It was like my entire Kentucky Basketball fanhood was summed up in a matter of minutes, making me flash back to the national championship runs in 90s to the return to greatness in the John Calipari Era, and the thrills of the 2014, 2015, and 2019 seasons. Most of all, it gave me hope we’ll get back there again.

— Tyler Thompson

Antonio Reeves repeats as 3-Point Contest Champion

If FanDuel had odds on the Big Blue Madness 3-Point Contest, Antonio Reeves would have been the favorite. For the second year in a row, Reeves delivered, taking home the title with a final score 33/50, putting an exclamation point on the victory by drilling the money ball on the final rack. Freshman Reed Sheppard finished in second place.

Threeves, indeed.

— Tyler Thompson

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Joey Hart makes everyone eat crow in the Dunk Contest

I think everyone expected Joey Hart to participate in the three-point contest, but the freshman was a late scratch, opting to do the dunk contest instead. At first, that seemed like a mistake. Hart missed the rim on a few attempts but eventually got it rolling to defeat Jordan Burks and Justin Edwards. His final dunk, a one-handed slam from a pass bounced off the side of the backboard from Reed Sheppard, left the crowd chanting “JOEY-JOEY-JOEY!” and led to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist giving him the trophy.

— Tyler Thompson

A full house of recruits

At the end of the day Big Blue Madness is a glorified recruiting show, and it served its purpose with a long list of high-profile targets in the stands ranging from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 classes.

Chin Coleman led a parade of blue-chippers out to their seats, including Kentucky commit Somto Cyril, four-star wing Billy Richmond and four-star guard Travis Perry among ’24s, five-stars Darryn Peterson, Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff and Jasper Johnson with four-star center Malachi Moreno among ’25s and Gabe Weis, Jayden Johnson and Tay Kinney among ’26s.

Quite the squad to roll out for a practice.

— Jack Pilgrim

John Calipari has a new favorite line

Kentucky’s 10-minute scrimmage was, as expected, nothing to write home about. More interesting were John Calipari’s comments to Jimmy Dykes during it. As at Pro Day on Wednesday, Cal expressed his concern about Kentucky’s rim protection, especially given the injuries in the frontcourt (he said he hopes to have Aaron Bradshaw and Ugonna Onyenso back “in the next five weeks”). He also gave kudos to Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse, the reigning SEC Co-Coach of the Year and his son Brad’s new boss. Calipari said he fully expects his wife Ellen to root for the Commodores now, a fun development to keep an eye on.

Cal finished with his new favorite line: “Administrations win championships.” Considering how long it took for Zvonimir Ivisic to be admitted to UK and all the drama that surrounded that process, this can’t be a coincidence. Thankfully, everything worked out, but as we’ve learned, Calipari can hold a grudge.

— Tyler Thompson

Dr. Mike’s Photo Gallery

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