Moments to Remember from Big Blue Madness 2019

Basketball, at long last, is back.
 
The Big Blue Nation got its first formal look at the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams at the annual spectacle masquerading as an open practice known as Big Blue Madness.
 
Based on the general noise level on Friday night at Rupp Arena, it seems fans liked what they saw. Featuring introductions of both teams, a performance by the 24-time national champion UK cheerleaders and the sterling work of Kentucky Sports Video, Madness was a hit, per usual.
 
Let’s take a look at why by running down some of the most memorable moments from Big Blue Madness 2019.
 
Mitchell goes country
 
Nobody has a tougher job at Big Blue Madness than Matthew Mitchell.
 
Now in his 10th year trying to one-up himself, Mitchell sent up “Old Town Road” this time around after he was introduced by a video of his team recreating his past Madness performances. Flanked by the UK Dance Team and wearing quite a blue and white cowboy get-up, Mitchell danced as normal – and even led the crowd in a singalong.
 
Quite a way to start the evening.
 
The actual basketball
 
For as long as Immanuel Quickley is at Kentucky, he’s going to be tough to dethrone as 3-point contest champion. He defended his title from last season with an incredible performance, scoring 20 to advance to the final and then hitting almost everything in scoring 24 for the win.
 
It was an eventful dunk contest, with Tyrese Maxey going out of order and twice taking the microphone from the SEC Network’s Sean Farnham to actively campaign for himself. It worked, as Maxey’s two impressive dunks overcame Kahlil “The Dragon” Whitney soaring over three support staffers on his second dunk.
 
In the scrimmage, the friendly spirit of the evening was on full display from the very beginning, with Maxey and Ashton Hagans taking the opening tip. In a six-minute first half, there were 18 dunks. This team, in other words, has some athleticism. Blue finished the scrimmage with a 49-46 win that ended with a funny sequence in which traveling were briefly stricken from the rulebook.
 
For the women, Chasity Patterson stood out in her first appearance in front of fans. The Texas transfer isn’t eligible until after the fall semester, but she showed a nice touch from outside in winning the 3-point contest. Then, in a brief scrimmage, she buried 3s on each of her team’s first possessions. When she plays, she’ll provide a quality backcourt scoring option to go with Rhyne Howard.
 
Intros and dancing
 
On the women’s side, KeKe McKinney and Sabrina Haines were the most impressive in terms of raw dancing ability, but Blair Green was the fan favorite. The Harlan County native unzipped her warmup to reveal a 606 shirt as a tribute to her Eastern Kentucky roots.
 
The showstopper of the evening, however, was Quickley. Newcomers Dontaie Allen and Maxey certainly showed their personalities, but Quickley’s moves were some of the best ever seen at Madness (non-Mitchell division).
 
Chair-backs debut
 
The transformation of Rupp Arena is well underway, with one notable change coming this season. Sideline sections in the upper level now have chair backs for the first time, bringing more comfortable seating for fans in those sections and a fresh new look.
 
The Greatest Tradition
 
Flanked by his team and right after a video celebrating the history of Kentucky basketball, John Calipari delivered a speech on the Greatest Tradition in the History of College Basketball. He reflected on his first decade at UK and the many more than came before it. He talked about all that has been achieved. The wins. The championships. The All-Americans. The NBA Draft picks.
 
But as much as anything, Coach Cal’s address this year was about turning the page to the future. To the next decade of the Greatest Tradition the sport has ever seen. It was a challenge to his current team and the fans who will support them.
 
He closed his speech that could not have been a more fitting cap to the evening.
 
“It is on. Let’s have some fun.”