LIVE UPDATES: Big Blue Madness

And that’ll do it for BBM 2025

Well, BBN, we had a blast today. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Mark Pope set a new standard for this event in his first season as head coach, and he surpassed it in season two. The 2025-26 campaign is right around the corner. This was the perfect appetizer. And what should we expect from this year’s Wildcats? “A lot of wins. A lot of wins,” Trent Noah told the crowd. Pope even brought out a bunch of alumni to serve as the perfect sendoff.

Kam Williams won a fan $5,000

A fan had a few chances to make a half-court shot for a cash prize, but his shot was off on all of them. So Pope, who put up $5,000 of his own money, let him recruit a Kentucky player to take the final one for him. The fan picked Kam Williams. Excellent choice, my friend. Williams hit nothing but net to win the fan a nice chunk of change.

Trent Noah wins the 3-Point Contest

Andrija Jelavić put up a score of 21 in his second round, but Trent Noah was on a HEATER. The sophomore sniper racked up a score of 30. He didn’t even need to watch his final money ball shot go in. Noah came in second in this event last year, but made sure to make up for it in 2025.

Surprise, surprise — Collin Chandler won the Dunk Contest

Collin Chandler is the repeat champion of the Big Blue Madness Dunk Contest. His first slam was a deep reverse slam that received a 50, but his second dunk was MUCH better. Chandler brought in John Wall for the assist, too. Chandler took a running start and jumped from just inside the free-throw line before throwing down a VICIOUS slam. For good measure, he and Wall did the John Wall Dance after. Perfect. No notes.

Noah, Jelavić to the 3-Point Contest finals

Trent Noah and Andrija Jelavić both poured in 25 points during the the first round. The crowd was loving it. They’ll move on to the final round. But first, we have the Dunk Contest! Braydon Hawthorne is up first.

The White Team won the scrimmage

And it was filled with a TON of three-pointers. Pope has himself some shooters, BBN.

John Wall joined the BBM broadcast

Rupp Arena sang Happy Birthday to BG’s son

Brandon Garrison’s tiny son, Akarii, is about to have a birthday. To celebrate early, Garrison asked the packed Rupp Arena crowd to sing him a Happy Birthday. And the Big Blue Nation all happily obliged — although it might have been past baby Akarii’s bedtime. He wasn’t a big fan of the loud noises. Either way, it was a very sweet moment.

John Wall did the John Wall Dance with Mark Pope

The rumors were true — John Wall returned to Rupp Arena and was introduced alongside Mark Pope. And in true John Wall fashion, he gave the fans what they wanted: the John Wall Dance. He and Pope slowly emerged from behind the video board on giant lifts. It was perfect. I might have shed a tiny tear.

What was your favorite player introduction?

Otega Oweh easily has the biggest pop, but I won’t lie, Trent Noah’s introduction as Jordan Smith sang “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” stole the show. We also had Cowboy Zach Tow, a Jasper Johnson “6-7” dance, Kam Williams coming out to “Party in the USA”, and other awesome intros. What was your favorite?

Amelia Hassett wins three-point contest with 25 points in final round

Georgia Amoore is back!

The goal is to win the program’s first-ever natty

Makayla Epps is here!

Kenny Brooks with ANOTHER chill-sending entrance

Big recruiting night for Kentucky WBB

There are several five-star visitors in town for Kenny Brooks’ program.

The Popes on the blue carpet

The first couple of Kentucky Basketball has arrived on the blue carpet.

Caleb Holt on his unofficial visit

The paparazzi have spotted five-star guard Caleb Holt backstage. He’s taking an unofficial visit to Kentucky this weekend.

Here come the players…

Jasper Johnson is the first player to make his way down the blue carpet, wearing an impressive custom chain/pendant.

Reminder: Big Blue Madness is only on SEC Network+

I’ve seen a lot of people asking what channel Big Blue Madness is on. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the event will only stream on SEC Network+, aka “on the computer.” It can be accessed through the ESPN app on smartphones, tablets, connected streaming services, or via espn.com/watch. If your cable subscription includes SEC Network, you should get SEC Network+. Simply log in with your cable provider ID/password when prompted and find Big Blue Madness under live events.

The Blue Carpet awaits…

We’re under an hour from the start of the main event. The blue carpet is ready for the VIPs to make their entrance. KSR celebrity correspondents Jack Pilgrim, Steven Peake, Phoenix Stevens, Jacob Polacheck, and Zack Geoghegan are in position to bring you the latest. I’ll share their updates as I get them…

Fan Fest was a BLAST

Let me be the first to say that UK Athletics knocked it out of the park with the Fan Fest. Thousands of Kentucky fans showed up to enjoy the pre-BBM festivities — and there sure was plenty to do. On the main stage, we had Mark Pope breaking down offensive actions before Kenny Brooks and Tubby Smith sat down to talk basketball. Autograph lines to meet the men’s and women’s players were hundreds of people deep. There was plenty of food and drinks, activities for the youngins, and booths with Kentucky memorabilia. Not to mention Podcast Row, which we at KSR couldn’t have been more excited and grateful to be a part of. Tubby, Darius Miller, and even Stone Cold Willow were among our guest appearances. Four hours of the Memorial Memo and Sources Say was hopefully enough to satisfy the Big Blue Nation until Madness officially starts at 6. The real fun starts soon…