UK has announced a date for this year's Big Blue Madness -- and it's not when you might expect

by: Zack Geoghegan3 hours agoZGeogheganKSR

mark-pope-has-understood-the-assignment-so-far-this-offseason-roster-nil-kentucky — Mark Pope addresses the crowd at his first Big Blue Madness as Kentucky's head coach - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Big Blue Madness has traditionally fallen on a Friday, but this year’s event will be a bit different.

UK Athletics announced Thursday afternoon that the 2025 edition of Big Blue Madness has been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 11, inside Rupp Arena. It will be presented by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass. A start time and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

Holding BBM on a Saturday is certainly an interesting twist. The Kentucky football team does not play a game that weekend, which could make moving the basketball programs’ preseason event back a day more understandable. But attendance is not usually an issue for the annual preseason showcase. As far back as this writer can remember, BBM has always landed on a Friday.

Regardless, this will be our first official look at this year’s Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams. Will we have another Rick Pitino appearance next month??

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SAVE THE DATE: #BBM25 – Saturday, Oct. 11 in @Rupp_Arena at Central Bank Center.

Time and ticket information coming soon!
Presented by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass! pic.twitter.com/11Sc1A4Tj7
— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) September 11, 2025

Big Blue Madness will serve as the unofficial kickoff of the 2025-26 basketball season. The Blue-White event, which has not been publicly announced yet, will likely be held a week after BBM. For Mark Pope‘s squad, Kentucky men’s basketball will then host Purdue (Oct. 24) and Georgetown (Oct. 30) in exhibitions ahead of the season-opener against Nicholls on Nov. 4. Kenny Brooks and his women’s basketball team will get the regular season rolling on Nov. 3 against Morehead State.

Kentucky MBB is also expected to host a trio of talented recruits for official visits during the weekend of BBM. Five-star SG Jordan Smith Jr. (No. 3 overall in 2026), four-star C Ethan Taylor (No. 25), and four-star C Josh Irving (No. 68) are all expected to be at Rupp to take in the fun. It should be a busy weekend for the coaching staff.

Basketball season isn’t all that far away, folks.

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