2026 Big Blue Madness Recap

LEXINGTON – October 3, 2026 – Bradley Charles

On Friday night, BBN got a look at the 2026-27 UK men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams. It marked the third Big Blue Madness for both Mark Pope and Kenny Brooks; the respective head coaches of each program.

The big surprise of the night occurred when Pope introduced former Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns. The 2026 NBA Champion with the New York Knicks is a six-time NBA All-Star. Towns was a consensus Second-Team All-American in his highly-decorated lone season at Kentucky.

As for the basketball-related content, Alex Wilkins registered an impressive outing in the 3-PT shooting contest en route to taking the crown. The women’s 3-point contest was won by Asia Boone.

The dunk contest was won by James Madison transfer Justin McBride. UK WBB held a shooting competition with three teams of four players. The team of Clara Strack, Dianna Collins, Jemma Amoore, and Emily McDonald won the contest.

Milan Momcilovic banked-in a half-court shot on his first attempt, which generated a loud cheer from the crowd in addition to prompting a hyped reaction from his teammates.

Another highlight from the night took place at the start of the event when the two UK mascots repelled onto the floor from the top of Rupp Arena.