UK Fans’ Excitement at Fever Pitch; Big Blue Madness Set for Friday Night [VIDEO]

It's the Fall Classic. No, I don't mean the World Series. THAT Fall Classic is still a few weeks away. I'm talking about THIS Fall Classic--Big Blue Madness. This Friday night, thousands will descend upon Lexington's Rupp Arena, filling it to the rafters to get their first look at the University of Kentucky Wildcats' basketball team--2011-2012 edition. Expectations are once again very high. Since Coach John Calipari arrived in 2009, they've never been anything less. What's marvel-worthy is how this UK recruiting class (ranked #1 by rivals.com) of Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague, Michael Gilchrist, Kyle Wiltjer may even be better than Coach Cal's first. And that stunning collection of players included the likes of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe. When you add a quartet like Davis-Teague-Gilchrist-Wiltjer to a pack of veterans like Doron Lamb, Terrence Jones, Darius Miller, and Eloy Vargas, there are reasons to be very excited about the coming year. How excited, you might ask? Big Blue Nation camps out to buy tickets for a PRACTICE. And, yes, if you are not familiar with Big Blue Madness, that's exactly what it is. It's a practice. It's a chance for the fans to get their first look at the new team. There's a blue-white scrimmage game between the players. And, to be honest, that interests me only for a while, but then I'm ready for the real games to start. And they won't happen until November. So, like the rest of  the Wildcat fans, I will take Big Blue Madness as the appetizer for the coming season that it is. Bring on the hoops!