Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Big Blue Madness is Upon Us and Matthew Mitchell is Gobbling Up Recruits

Big Blue madness is almost upon us!!!  In 28 days, the men’s and women’s basketball teams hold their first open practice and after looking at this year’s squad, we have a great chance to hang Banner #9 next April.  As always the tickets to Big Blue Madness are a hot ticket.  So hot, in fact, that the University of Kentucky Athletics Dept. has to send out a notice almost three (3) weeks in advance of ticket acquisition for those who plan to camp out for them.  Big Blue Nation has camped out for these free tickets for as long as I can remember and the better our team, the more crazy our fans.  Here is the UK Athletics release:

"From UK Athletics:  LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tickets for the 2013 Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena will be available Saturday, Oct. 5 at 7 a.m. ET at the Memorial Coliseum ticket windows on Euclid Avenue and online at UKathletics.com and Ticketmaster.com. Madness, the first open practice opportunity for UK’s 2013-14 men’s and women’s basketball teams, is Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Television broadcast info will be released at a later date. Tickets are free again this year, and there will be a limit of four tickets per person at Memorial Coliseum.  Online orders will have a minimal service fee attached, and there will be a limit of four tickets per household. Online ticket ordering information will be available at a later date. At the request of campus public safety officials, fans wishing to line up ahead of time at Memorial Coliseum are asked to do so no earlier than 5 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 2.  At that time, campers are encouraged to be courteous to their fellow Wildcat fans and use caution when crossing the Avenue of Champions, over onto the Coliseum block to occupy a spot in line.  Public safety officials will be on site to aid and assist in a safe move-in. Campers displaying unsafe/disorderly conduct risk being removed from line.  The Athletics Department will provide portable restroom facilities, but the use of permanent, wooden-type structures; portable generators; and propane tanks or other open flames used in cooking is prohibited due to safety concerns. Alcoholic beverages or tobacco products are not permitted. Additionally, selling sports tickets in excess of face value is illegal in Kentucky. A maximum of four (4) control cards per tent will be issued to those camped out on Friday, Oct. 4, beginning at 2 p.m. ET. Fans will receive a maximum of four (4) tickets per control card on Saturday morning. Fans are encouraged to start lining up for Saturday morning’s ticket distribution between 5-6 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 5.  All fans must be present to obtain their control cards and only one control card per person will be accepted at distribution.  Control cards will not be distributed after 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 and all persons with control cards must be in line by 7 a.m. After unloading, campers must relocate their vehicles to the E/K overflow parking lot, located across from Commonwealth Stadium off Alumni Drive. Parking in the E/K overflow parking lot will be free. Bus service will be available to transport fans back to Memorial Coliseum. Lextran buses serve this parking lot from 7 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. ET.  From 6 p.m. to midnight ET, the CATS Yellow Night Route will be in service. From midnight to 5 a.m. ET, the CATS Bus On-Demand Service may be utilized by calling (859) 221-RIDE (7233).  For more information, please visit http://www.uky.edu/pts/buses-and-shuttles_campus-shuttles_yellow-night-route Beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4, the gates of Parking Structure #5 next to Kennedy’s Bookstore will be open and the structure will be available for free parking. The structure will remain open overnight; however no camping or sleeping in vehicles is permitted. Cars must be removed by 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. With ongoing construction on the Lexington Avenue side of the Joe Craft Center, campers are asked to be mindful of construction vehicles entering and leaving the construction site during daytime hours."

Former Kentucky Wildcat Rodrick Rhodes is the current head coach at Cordia where 6’8″ PF Malik Hines currently plies his trade in HS after moving to Kentucky from Mississippi.  He is a 2014 prospect and according to Rhodes some “coaches from the University of Kentucky” were on hand to watch him work out.

"According to head coach Rodrick Rhodes, coaches from the University of Kentucky will be in town to watch Cordia big man Malik Hines today. Rhodes added that Ohio State will be checking Hines out next Friday. Hines is a 6-foot-8 power forward who moved to Kentucky over the summer. Future 150 ranked Hines No. 2 overall in the state of Mississippi and No. 73 nationally in the Class of 2014."

Speaking of former Kentucky Wildcats, DeAndre Liggins was arraigned on “felony numerous domestic violence” charges stemming from an August 31st incident involving his girl friend.  From the AP:

"The Associated Press"

"OKLAHOMA CITY — Former Oklahoma City Thunder player DeAndre Liggins has been formally arraigned on numerous felony domestic violence charges. Defense attorney Tony Coleman says not guilty pleas were entered on Liggins’ behalf in Oklahoma County District Court on Friday. Liggins faces two counts of kidnapping, two counts of domestic assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, three counts of domestic abuse in the presence of a minor and one count of violating a protective order. Liggins is free on bond. Liggins was arrested Aug. 31 after his girlfriend told police he attacked her in front of their 2-year-old son. The Thunder waived the 24-year-old former Kentucky player on Sept. 6 He said after Friday’s hearing he “loves Oklahoma fans” and the state of Oklahoma."