2022 Big Blue Madness Tickets Sold Out
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Big Blue Madness campout was back for the first time in three years, and the Big Blue Nation wasted little time in snatching up all tickets for this season’s Big Blue Madness Presented by Kinetic by Windstream.
UK fans claimed all available tickets on Sunday morning either via camping out or online, setting up for a sold-out and highly anticipated tipoff to the 2022-23 Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball seasons. The event will take place Oct. 14 in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center at 7 p.m.
For fans who were unable to claim tickets, SEC Network will televise the two-hour event live.
UK Athletics strongly discourages fans from buying or selling their Big Blue Madness tickets. Additionally, ticket holders should be aware of the potential risks of posting pictures of their tickets, specifically the barcode, on the internet in any way. For more information about ticket security, visit UKathletics.com/ticketing/ticket-security.
New this year for basketball, SafeTix will be implemented as an additional feature on mobile tickets. To fight fraud, Ticketmaster launched SafeTix, which uses an encrypted barcode that automatically refreshes every 15 seconds, or a tap-and-go ticket stored in a fan’s digital wallet. The process for accessing mobile tickets has not changed; however, with SafeTix, screenshots or recordings of tickets will no longer work for entry. Fans may still transfer tickets through their accounts and the UK Athletics App.
All patrons require a ticket to Big Blue Madness, regardless of age.
Big Blue Madness Presented by Kinetic by Windstream will feature introductions of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, practice drills, videos and more. This will be the 17th time Madness has been held in Rupp Arena.
For fans attending Big Blue Madness and all 2022-23 events at Rupp Arena this season, all items are subject to search due to security reasons and the Southeastern Conference clear bag policy is in place. Backpacks and large bags are prohibited. Guests may enter Rupp Arena with one clear bag no larger than 12” x 6” x 12” plus a small clutch that does not exceed 4.5” x 6.5”. A clear bag shall be clear from top-to-bottom and a 2’ trim/border is generally acceptable. To expedite entry into Rupp Arena, fans are encouraged not to a bring bag to sporting events at Rupp Arena.
The UK men’s team’s returning core is headlined by Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning National Player of the Year, who led the country with 15.1 rebounds per game and also paced the Cats in scoring at 17.4 points per game. Kentucky will also welcome back Sahvir Wheeler, who led the conference and ranked third in the country with 6.9 assists per game. Forwards Daimion Collins, Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware all were instrumental in helping the Wildcats to a 26-8 record and a No. 2 national seed in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
In all, UK is returning 44.3% of its scoring production, 58.4% of its rebounding, 50% of its steals, 51.2% of its assists and 72.3% of its blocks from a season ago.
Kentucky also welcomes in five dynamic newcomers, including top-10 signees Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace. Both players were Gatorade State Players of the Year and McDonald’s All Americans. Fast-rising prospects Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso inked with the Cats during the late signing period. UK also added one of the top transfers in Antonio Reeves, who ranked among the nation’s top 20 individual scorers a season ago at Illinois State averaging 20.1 points per game.
Fans interested in acquiring new men’s basketball season tickets are encouraged to enter the season ticket lottery online. For more information on lower-level seating that is currently available with a K Fund pledge commitment, please reach out to the UK Athletics K Fund staff at (859) 257-6300.
Kentucky head coach Kyra Elzy returns for her third season at the helm of the Wildcats, alongside associate head coach Niya Butts and assistant coaches Amber Smith and Jen Hoover. UK’s 15-person roster features five returners who combined for 44 starts last season. It also welcomes 10 newcomers, including six freshmen and four transfers from Buffalo, LSU, Oregon and South Carolina.
The 2022-23 Kentucky women’s basketball season, which begins Nov. 7 when the program plays host to Radford, features 12 nonconference games and 16 Southeastern Conference games, including 15 matchups inside Memorial Coliseum and two meetings at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
Elzy urges Big Blue Nation to mark its calendars for Dec. 11, when Kentucky hosts Louisville at the downtown, renovated arena.
Fans are encouraged to purchase women’s basketball season tickets online now at UKathletics.com/tickets. Season tickets offer considerable savings over the cost of buying single-game tickets, which are scheduled to go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 11. Season ticket prices include admission to all 17 of Kentucky women’s basketball’s home games inside Memorial Coliseum and Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com. For information regarding the @KentuckyWBB squad, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
