As usual, Rupp Arena, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this season, was packed with approximately 20,000 blue-clad hoops fans, who thoroughly enjoyed the evening’s festivities.
Legend In The House
A large number of former players were inside Rupp Arena on Saturday, but one visitor had a special introduction. As he did at his own Big Blue Madness during his freshman season, All-American and UK Athletics Hall of Famer John Wall did his “John Wall Dance”, much to the delight of the attendees.
.@CoachMarkPope and @JohnWall, name a better duo … we’ll wait. pic.twitter.com/EF4iLRxR0Q
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 11, 2025
Other alumni in attendance included national champion Ron Mercer, Jaxson Robinson, Jared Prickett, Wayne Turner and Makayla Epps, among others. Former head coach Tubby Smith was also in attendance.
Men’s Team From Deep
The men’s team scrimmaged for five minutes and what stood out was the three-point shooting. UK hit six threes, including of two from Kam Williams. There were also some athletic plays from Denzel Aberdeen and Jaland Lowe.
In the individual three-point shooting contest, two players lit up the board. Trent Noah scored 25 points and was later tied by Andrija Jelavić. In the finals, Jelavić put up 21 points but Noah caught fire and notched a score of 30 to take home the title.
3-point contest takeover from @trentnoah2_ 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Obvo6DSbJO
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) October 12, 2025
Chandler Defends Dunk Title
Collin Chandler entered Saturday’s dunk contest as the defending champion, having won the competition at the 2024 Big Blue Madness when he jumped over both Mark and Lee Anne Pope.
On Saturday night, Chandler held off Braydon Hawthorne and Mo Dioubate by scoring a pair of 50-point dunks. On the second dunk, Chandler brought Wall out of the crowd to throw him a lob pass as he ran from the opposite free throw line, jumped and slammed home Wall’s pass to secure the victory again.
Women’s Team Displays Skills
The women’s basketball team started with a skills challenge, which involved dribbling, passing and shooting stations. The team of Lexi Blue, Teonni Key and Tonie Morgan had the best time, topping the team of Asia Boone, Josie Gilvin and Jordan Obi.
In the three-point shooting competition, the team of Amelia Hassett, Blue, Kaelyn Carroll, Amelia Hassett, Key and Morgan were the winners and in the individual three-point competition, Boone put on a clinic in the first round with 24 points, but Hassett topped that with a 25-point effort in the finals to win the contest.
3 POINT CHAMP MILLIE! 🤩🏆 pic.twitter.com/ji0oQI5Oin
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) October 11, 2025
Cheer Squad Thrills Audience
The Kentucky cheerleading squad put together yet another dazzling performance on Saturday night, showing strong technical skills and amazing athleticism. The 24-time national champion cheerleaders will look for title number 25 in January at the UCA Championships in Orlando.
Dynamic Dance Team Shines
The UK Dance Team got the crowd pumped with their high-energy routine on Saturday night. The team, which has 15 seniors, performed to a variety of hip-hop numbers on Saturday, energizing the crowd with their routine. The UKDT will compete for a national title at the UDA Championships in Orlando in January.