Madness at Big Blue Nation: College Basketball Season Starts with the University of Kentucky

The State of Kentucky takes great pride in being home to three things: 96 percent of the world’s bourbon, the Kentucky Derby (the first and arguably most prestigious jewel of the Triple Crown), and University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball. While I had my fair share of the brown spirit and strolled around the venerable grounds of Churchill Downs during my recent visit to Kentucky, I looked forward most to opening the college hoops season at Big Blue Madness amongst the most rabid fans in the country: the Big Blue Nation.

Kentucky has long been a venerable force in college basketball, amassing eight national championships over the course of the program’s history. Because of UK’s tradition of dominance in the sport, combined with the fact that there are no professional sports teams in Kentucky, virtually everyone in the state focuses their energy on the Wildcats.

Yet after winning its seventh championship in 1998, Kentucky went on a barren spell, trading Final Fours and National Championships for 10-loss seasons and crushing tournament defeats. Championship winning coach Tubby Smith was run out of town in 2007. His successor Billy Gillispie got ousted in disgrace (once they could actually find him to fire him, that is).

With the program reeling, UK turned to then-Memphis coach John Calipari to resurrect the program. Calipari has done precisely that, leading Kentucky to its eighth National Championship in 2012 and an additional four Final Fours during his six years in charge. Calipari has taken full advantage of the one and done rule, which requires all high school basketball players to spend one year in college prior to declaring for the NBA draft. Using this strategy, Calipari has consistently drawn the top high school recruits annually, where he banks on the talent of obvious lottery picks who spend their one college season in Lexington before going pro.

This approach has drawn the ire of analysts, coaches, and fans alike, who feel the rule “defeats the purpose of college athletics.” Calipari has said over and over that he wants to make kids’ dreams come true, and he has stood by his word. Throughout his tenure, he has produced three #1 picks, 13 lottery picks, and 28 players currently in the NBA. Because of the constant attention on the program, combined with the annual influx of NBA-level talent and the corresponding sky-high expectations for the team, Lexington has reclaimed its seat as the capital of college basketball once again.

I attended UK’s Midnight Madness this year, excited to witness the hype and the anticipation of a top caliber program. Previous years have included Drake, a self-proclaimed Kentucky fan who not only introduced Coach Calipari but also participated in shootarounds with the team. And while UK may not show me the same kind of Crew Love, I can’t be mad. I was still excited to mix it up with Big Blue Nation.

I had gotten a taste of the BBN while living in Europe through my friend Jason, a Kentucky fan who would get up at all hours of the night to watch them play back home in the States. Jason would have been proud to see that downtown Lexington had turned into a sea of Kentucky blue, with EVERYONE—from entire families to waiters and bartenders— getting in on the spirit. It felt more like a New Year’s Eve celebration than a glorified basketball scrimmage, with fans dressed in their fancy dresses and button down shirts (all blue of course), taking pictures and opening bottles of champagne as a celebratory toast to another successful season in Lexington.

We got to our seats right as the lights turned off, and I couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed. Rupp Arena is beyond huge — with a capacity of 23,500, it is larger than any NBA arena. As the highlights from years past began rolling, fans screamed and cheered, creating a wall of noise I have never before heard in a college basketball arena. The crowd’s noise briefly subsided but immediately rose again as legendary announcer Michael Buffer entered the arena (in a blue tuxedo, no less) and gave a boxing-style introduction for each Kentucky player. Cue the fireworks, smoke, pyrotechnics, and personalized entrance music, topped off by deafening cheers. Players at the NBA Finals or World Series don’t even get this type of introduction.

The loudest cheer, however, was reserved for the leader of the Big Blue Nation: John Calipari.

College coaches are in a unique position compared to NBA coaches, in that they also have to be CEOs of their respective programs. College coaches are responsible not only for success on the court, but also all of the branding and marketing of the program off the court.

Like him or not, it’s hard to argue that Calipari is a master of this role. He rallied the fans, inviting former Wildcats in attendance (including NBA stars John Wall and Boogie Cousins) to join the current team on stage, driving home his theme of a Big Blue Family. Calipari noted that the “former stars and our current players, the Big Blue Nation, make up one big family that will continue to be the gold standard of our sport. We learn to chase our dreams together until they are all achieved.” These words drew the final massive roar of the night as the lights came on and the band started playing UK’s fight song.

And perhaps Calipari’s greatest success is that these fans? They believe. This isn’t just a show for them; this is the real deal. UK basketball is not all they have, but it might be the best thing they have. Because it’s family. And it’s tradition. And it runs deep. This rabid support comes with a hearty side of swagger, as the t-shirt of a nearby fan asserted: “KENTUCKY AGAINST ALL Y’ALL.”

While the scrimmage was brief, it was clear that Kentucky’s hopes would again rely on the success of the team’s talented freshmen. One in particular, Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, will be a player to watch this year and will likely be a top pick in next year’s draft. Meanwhile in gyms across America, similar events (while likely not as extravagant as Kentucky’s) took place, as college hoops fans got to see their teams for the first time as they begin their journey towards cutting down the nets in March.

It’s not even November, and yet the race to the Final Four in Phoenix has already begun. Welcome back, college basketball!