By Nick Jones, UK AthleticsSince 1950, 201 Avenue of Champions has served as the home of Memorial Coliseum. This week, though, thousands of UK fans have made the address their own temporary home as they anxiously await the ticket distribution for Big Blue Madness. Tickets will be made available to the public Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7 a.m. at the Memorial Coliseum ticket office and online at Ticketmaster.com. But for the fans that have been living out of the estimated 770 tents — an all-time record — lining north campus sidewalks, the pecking order has already been determined. At 5 a.m. on Wednesday it was a frantic pursuit for the finest camping spots that the University of Kentucky has to offer. Shane Johnson of Seymour, Ind., who is a first-time Big Blue Madness camper, illustrates the scene as something far more than chaotic.”It was like seeing as a crowd of people running hysterically from a tornado,” Johnson said. Like Johnson, Many Cats fans arrived days in advance as they lined Avenue of Champions, Rose Street and Lexington Avenue. The daily grind of life outdoors may take some getting used to, but it is all worth it in the end for the hottest free ticket of the year among the Big Blue Nation. Rick Osborne, who made the trip from Harlan County, said his family has multiple spots in line.”This is a family event for us,” Osborne said. “But you certainly could not get an experience like this with all the other fans without camping out. Don’t get me wrong, there are hardships that come with it, but it’s too good of a time to not come out here.”And getting to spend a week with the 2014-15 Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams making consistent appearances has to be at least worth the price of admission, right?”It is really nice to just be around them,” Johnson said. “Seeing them go to and from class and having them stop by to spend a little time with us fans, it’s great. We get to see them on the court once the season starts, but this is a different experience getting a small look at their lifestyle.”Fans will get a glimpse of what will likely be the preseason No. 1 team in college basketball on Oct. 17 at 7:00 p.m. A month from the annual open practice at Rupp Arena, they’re already buzzing.”After seeing them in the Bahamas last month, my expectations are very high,” said Scott Mattingly of Lebanon, Ky. “I knew they weren’t going to go 40-0 last year. But this year is different, and I think everyone – all the experts – is scared to give them that same hype. So I’m just excited to see it all play out.” The Cats amassed a 5-1 record during an eight-day span on their Big Blue Bahamas tour against teams from around the world that were made up of primarily professional talent. So, there is not much the UK faithful does not have to be excited about, and that was once again demonstrated this week. Look no further than the record-breaking crowd at the annual campout.These people use their vacation days to take as much as a week away from work. They sleep in tents crammed beside complete strangers. But they all have one thing in common: love for Kentucky basketball. “There is no other fan base like it. It’s special,” Mattingly said. “Now that we are all settled in out here, we have all come together to support our team.”