The teams, along with featured guests, will enter the arena via first level of the Lexington Center and walk the blue carpet for an opportunity to greet fans, interview with media members and stop to have their picture taken.
the Lexington Center shops on the northeast entrance of the Lexington Center. Fans are invited to watch from the first- and second-level balconies.
Select members of the teams and VIPs will also be interviewed and broadcast on the Don Franklin Auto Blue Carpet for fans to hear.
For fans who will be watching from home, the blue carpet entrance will be featured on the Before the Madness special, which will be televised live from 5:30-7 p.m. on select UK Sports Network affiliates.
Before the Madness will feature exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content from the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams and more. WKYT’s Dave Baker and Christi Thomas will serve as the hosts for the night and will be joined by WKYT’s DeAnn Stephens and UK Athletics Hall of Famer Mike Pratt, who will be on the blue carpet to interview special guests. WKYT’s Lee K. Howard – co-host of BBN TV – will cover the signs and sounds live from inside Rupp Arena.
Before the Madness will air live on all UK Sports Network affiliates. Below are the complete listings of networks throughout the state and surrounding regions:
| Market | Station (Time) |
| Ashland Ky./Huntington, W.Va. | WQCW (CW) |
| Bowling Green, Ky. | WKBO (ABC) |
| Evansville, Ind. | WFIE (NBC) |
| Hazard, Ky. | WYMT (CBS) |
| Lexington, Ky. | WKYT (CBS)/CW |
| Louisville, Ky. | WHAS (ABC) |
| Paducah, Ky. | WPSD (NBC) |
| Regional | Fox Sports South |
For fans unable to make it to Rupp Arena for Big Blue Madness, the annual tipoff to the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball seasons can be seen live on SEC Network. It will mark the fifth straight season the annual spectacle will air live and in its entirety on a national network.
The two-hour show will also stream live via the WatchESPN app on computers, tables and smartphones. ESPN’s Tom Hart will be on hand to make the call alongside analysts Sean Farnham and Debbie Antonelli.
Big Blue Madness presented by Papa John’s will feature introductions of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, practice drills, videos and more. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and the event will begin at 7 p.m.
Free tickets for Big Blue Madness, which were distributed two weeks ago in-person at Memorial Coliseum and online, sold out in less than an hour.
This will be the 15th time Madness has been held in Rupp Arena.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams, follow @KentuckyMBB and @KentuckyWBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.