The long off-season is almost over. Basketball is getting ready to erupt once again in the Bluegrass. The premiere event in October for any UK fan is Big Blue Madness. It is the first chance that fans will get to see the new team perform. Also, due to season ticket holders not getting first grabs at seats, it is a great chance for fans to see their Wildcats that don’t normally get a ticket to Rupp Arena. That brings up a great question. How do I get a ticket? Well, there are basically three ways to get your hands on the coveted Big Blue Madness tickets. You can camp-out, buy online, or buy from a third party. Which is best? Let us weigh the choices with pros and cons.
Big Blue Camp-out
Fans can grab their tents and head out to Memorial Colosseum on Wednesday September 19th at 7 am. Once there , you will be in for a treat as you wait THREE days just to get your tickets !
PROS
- Great Atmosphere – It is like having a three day trip with thousands of your best friends
- Player Interaction – During the event , former UK players will be hanging around. You will get a chance to meet many player and talk with them. Last year, the incoming freshmen put on a good show at the blue courts.
- Tickets are FREE – Tickets don’t cost you a dime .
Cons
- Cold Nights in a Tent – You will be in for three long cold nights in your favorite tent
- Seating – Don’t be upset when you find out that your friend who got their tickets online have better seats than you. If your not early in the line at the ticket office, you could come out with upper level seating.
Ticketmaster /Online
Pros
- Comfort – You don’t have to spend those cold nights on the street in Lexington. After waking up on Saturday morning in your warm house, with your UK pajamas on , you can log on and score your tickets on Ticketmaster.com. Ticketmaster will release tickets at 7 am on September 22nd
- Great Seats - If you are a quick typist , and can bypass the “Captcha” code with lightning fast keystrokes , then you may wind up with lower level seats.
Cons
- Ticket Price – Even though the tickets are free, you will have to pay Ticketmaster a handling fee. Usually , it is around $2.50 per ticket. It is not much, but isn’t as good as free.
- Not Guaranteed Ticket – Ticketmaster will be sold out within seconds. If your slow on the keyboard, or have a slow internet connection you may be bummed out and ticket-less at 7:02 am
Third Party/Ebay/StubHub
Pros
- Guaranteed a Ticket – The sad thing about the free tickets is the that fact that many will sell them for a profit. That means if you didn’t get lucky on Ticketmaster or didn’t camp-out you still have a chance to attend the game. There will be tons on Ebay.
Cons
- Price - If you want a ticket after they are all gone, be prepared to empty your wallet. You are going to have to hand over hundreds of dollars for tickets that are suppose to be free.
