Kentucky basketball: Big Blue Madness is the official start of hoops in the bluegrass
By Tyler Reed
The Kentucky basketball team will take center stage Friday night as they headline Big Blue Madness. The madness has long been a favorite of the Big Blue Nation, dating back to when those of us who are old enough to remember when it was called Midnight Madness.
Now that I’ve aged myself out of existence let’s get back to the task at hand. It will be a busy weekend in the Commonwealth, as the football Cats have a crucial game against Mississippi State on Saturday, and we get our first glimpse of the hardwood Cats since their exhibition games back in August.
While Big Blue Madness is always a special event, it seems as if the heart of the Wildcats will be taking the night off. Head coach of the Cats, John Calipari, tweeted this week that reigning Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe will undergo a 15-minute procedure to “clean some things up.”
Bad news is I kept him out of practice Sat. with knee stuff. He refused to sit out Pro Day and balled out. I made him sit out Mon. and get examined as a precaution. He’s going to have a minor 15-minute procedure to clean some things up. Not a big deal, but no dancing at Madness!
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) October 11, 2022
Calipari doesn’t seem too worried by the news, so that should be a sign of relief for those in the BBN that may be a little stressed over the news. One should expect Oscar to be 100% when the Wildcats start play in November.
One thing forsure...
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) October 11, 2022
We are no stranger to the weight room. 💪 pic.twitter.com/MhcajZKoRL
Big Blue Madness won’t just be the Men’s team. As it is every season, the madness will highlight the awe-inspiring Kentucky cheer team and the reigning defending SEC Women’s Conference Tournament Champions, Kentucky Wildcats. The Women’s team will be looking to build off the historic season they had last year.
Big Blue Madness is tonight, and for those of us who weren’t lucky enough to secure tickets to the event will be able to catch the action on SEC Network starting at 7 p.m. The event will be shown in its entirety.