From Large To Small, Midnight Madness Has It All
From Large To Small, Midnight Madness Has It All
Midnight Madness is an exciting time of year. Colleges put together amazing entertainment and activities to desperately try to lure alumni and basketball fa
Midnight Madness is an exciting time of year. Colleges put together amazing entertainment and activities to desperately try to lure alumni and basketball fans to their campuses. College cheerleaders play a large role in the entertainment when it comes to Midnight Madness and often encourages and directs the student body school spirit. Whether it’s a large well known University or a lower-teir program, the excitement on campus during Midnight Madness is infectious and obvious.
UK does not disclose any of it’s activities or guests before Midnight Madness, but the UK alumni has such a loyal and passionate love for their alma mater that they never have a problem filling the 23,000 seats at Rupp Arena. This year was not only the 113th edition of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, the event was also broadcast in its entirety on national television for the first time in its history. UK cheerleaders, basketball players, coaches and alumni did not disappoint the millions of fans glued to the television. Rapper and Kentucky fan Drake, made an appearance and even introduced the legendary and “the most luxurious basketball coach in NCAA history”, John Calipari.
The University of Kentucky’s cheer team is well known for their dominating performances on the competition floor at UCA College Nationals televised on ESPN. The cheerleaders have over twenty National Championship Titles and are comfortable performing under pressure on the big stage. They are a favorite staple at the games and are highly respected on campus and in the community.
Clink on the picture below to see a video of their performance:
Coach Calipari however, kept his focus and the focus of UK fans were it belongs while he was speaking; on the basketball players. - “You all know that playing at Kentucky is about being on the biggest of big stages,” he said. “Playing here is like performing at Carnegie Hall. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” Coach Calipari spoke less than 500 words, but it took him over seven minutes to get his speech out because he had to stop for continuous eruptions of applause and cheers from the crowd. “Because of our national following, everything we do is on national television,” Coach Cal said. “From practices to scrimmages and exhibition games, even pro day.” He praised the players saying, “They are the reason we hang those national championship banners,” he said. “They are the individuals we retire jerseys for. They are the reason why thousands of you camp out for a week each year to celebrate them on this night.”
UK isn’t the only school with Midnight Madness excitement and alumni following. Tarleton State University in Texas hosted their Midnight Madness event in Wisdom Arena. The Tarleton basketball band, Foul Play, performed along with exciting appearances from the Texan Cheerleaders and the Texan Stars dance team. The cheerleaders and dancers threw out over 300 shirts to the sea of purple Tarleton State fans who completely filled Wisdom Arena on October 14. The last time basketball was played in Wisdom Gym, Tarleton State University was celebrating a regional championship.
Veteran male cheerleader Jason Kaempf said, “Our Midnight Madness is one of the biggest events in the fall semester. As cheerleaders, we do a routine with both squads and the dance team. Our men’s basketball team is ranked #1 in the nation right now so the student body is very excited about this year. We hit maximum capacity in our gym this year during the event. One of the most unique things about our Midnight Madness is that the women’s team does a routine with music and jump roping every year.” You can see a video of the performances at:
Other notable Midnight Madness moments:
Penn State had a half-court-shot contest for $10,000, and a "Finish The Play" contest where past great plays are shown on the video board & then paused and a contestant has to tell what happened next.
Duke University in Blue Devil fashion refused to call the event Midnight Madness. Instead, they named their event, complete with dunk contest and their notably entertaining videos, “Countdown to Craziness”.
At the University of Memphis, rap legend Rick Ross performed and served as a judge for the annual slam dunk contest. DOUBLE CHECK THIS!!
UK does not disclose any of it’s activities or guests before Midnight Madness, but the UK alumni has such a loyal and passionate love for their alma mater that they never have a problem filling the 23,000 seats at Rupp Arena. This year was not only the 113th edition of the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, the event was also broadcast in its entirety on national television for the first time in its history. UK cheerleaders, basketball players, coaches and alumni did not disappoint the millions of fans glued to the television. Rapper and Kentucky fan Drake, made an appearance and even introduced the legendary and “the most luxurious basketball coach in NCAA history”, John Calipari.
The University of Kentucky’s cheer team is well known for their dominating performances on the competition floor at UCA College Nationals televised on ESPN. The cheerleaders have over twenty National Championship Titles and are comfortable performing under pressure on the big stage. They are a favorite staple at the games and are highly respected on campus and in the community.
Clink on the picture below to see a video of their performance:
Coach Calipari however, kept his focus and the focus of UK fans were it belongs while he was speaking; on the basketball players. - “You all know that playing at Kentucky is about being on the biggest of big stages,” he said. “Playing here is like performing at Carnegie Hall. If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” Coach Calipari spoke less than 500 words, but it took him over seven minutes to get his speech out because he had to stop for continuous eruptions of applause and cheers from the crowd. “Because of our national following, everything we do is on national television,” Coach Cal said. “From practices to scrimmages and exhibition games, even pro day.” He praised the players saying, “They are the reason we hang those national championship banners,” he said. “They are the individuals we retire jerseys for. They are the reason why thousands of you camp out for a week each year to celebrate them on this night.”
UK isn’t the only school with Midnight Madness excitement and alumni following. Tarleton State University in Texas hosted their Midnight Madness event in Wisdom Arena. The Tarleton basketball band, Foul Play, performed along with exciting appearances from the Texan Cheerleaders and the Texan Stars dance team. The cheerleaders and dancers threw out over 300 shirts to the sea of purple Tarleton State fans who completely filled Wisdom Arena on October 14. The last time basketball was played in Wisdom Gym, Tarleton State University was celebrating a regional championship.
Veteran male cheerleader Jason Kaempf said, “Our Midnight Madness is one of the biggest events in the fall semester. As cheerleaders, we do a routine with both squads and the dance team. Our men’s basketball team is ranked #1 in the nation right now so the student body is very excited about this year. We hit maximum capacity in our gym this year during the event. One of the most unique things about our Midnight Madness is that the women’s team does a routine with music and jump roping every year.” You can see a video of the performances at:
Other notable Midnight Madness moments:
Penn State had a half-court-shot contest for $10,000, and a "Finish The Play" contest where past great plays are shown on the video board & then paused and a contestant has to tell what happened next.
Duke University in Blue Devil fashion refused to call the event Midnight Madness. Instead, they named their event, complete with dunk contest and their notably entertaining videos, “Countdown to Craziness”.
At the University of Memphis, rap legend Rick Ross performed and served as a judge for the annual slam dunk contest. DOUBLE CHECK THIS!!