Once again, Kentucky fans have demonstrated an insatiable appetite for basketball. Over 21,000 tickets to the 2006 Big Blue Madness were snapped up in the first half hour of availability Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon, all 23,000 tickets had been distributed. Madness, the official start of UK’s basketball practice, will be held at Rupp Arena for the second-straight year.

Hundreds of fans were present at UK’s Memorial Coliseum ticket office Saturday at 8 a.m. when the distribution of free tickets began. Others obtained their tickets via the school’s Website, ukathletics.com, and at TicketMaster locations throughout Kentucky.

Less than 1,000 tickets remained available as of 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Fans wishing to acquire one of the last tickets can do so online and at TicketMaster.

Big Blue Madness, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 13, is the official start of basketball practice for Kentucky’s men’s and women’s teams.

UK set a national record last year when 23,174 fans showed up for the first Madness at Rupp Arena. Big Blue Madness had been held at 8,700-seat Memorial Coliseum since the event’s inception in 1982.