It’s official. Football season is coming to a close and the long-awaited Kentucky basketball season is well on its way back into the heart of Lexington.

The start of the season is marked by the annual Big Blue Madness celebration, which took place on Oct. 14. Big Blue Madness invites fans into the heart of Kentucky basketball, Rupp Arena, to watch the team play. Fans are able to get a preview into the program’s goals and set their expectations for the upcoming season. Big Blue Madness also gets fans excited for the season through engaging performances, appearances by the best of UK’s alumni and more.

Both returning members and new teammates did not fail to exhibit the skills that reminded fans why they love Kentucky basketball so much.

Returning sophomore Isaac Humphries didn’t hold back and took every scoring opportunity he had.

Freshmen Edrice Bam Adebayo and Sacha Killeya-Jones, who were compared to Trey Lyles, showed off excellent skill that fans had expected to see from new additions to the team.

Not only were the team’s skills on the court showcased, but teammates were given the opportunity to show off their dance skills to the crowd.

Appearances by former Kentucky basketball players John Wall, Willie Cauley-Stein and DeMarcus Cousins reminded fans of the degree of potential success the current team has the opportunity to reach.

Head coach of the Kentucky Women’s basketball team, Matthew Mitchell, got the crowd excited and engaged with his performance of the “JuJu on Dat Beat” dance, a recent social media phenomenon. The crowd was also hyped up by an engaging routine performed by 21 time National Champions, the Kentucky Cheerleaders.

Men’s coach John Calipari put a great emphasis on the concept of family when describing his expectations and visions for the upcoming season to fans, especially highlighting the relationship he intends for not only the players to have with one another, but also the Big Blue Nation. He emphasizes how necessary the close-knit bond between everyone involved in the program is to the success of the team.

The Kentucky basketball hype extends to Dunbar as well.

“I love basketball season, so seeing everything in action again was very thrilling,” said junior Abby Hendren, who attended Big Blue Madness. “Being in Rupp Arena again reminded me of the State Championship games that the Dunbar basketball team played there last season, which got me excited for their season too.”

The first game of the Kentucky Men’s Basketball season will be on Sunday, October 30th. The Wildcats will play against Clarion at Rupp Arena at 7 p.m.

The first game of the Dunbar Boys’ Basketball season will be on Nov. 28. The Bulldogs will play against Woodford County at Dunbar at 6:30 p.m.