Big Blue Madness, the annual Kentucky men's and women's basketball season tipoff event, will take place Oct. 2, the university's athletics department announced on social media.
The preseason gathering takes place at Rupp Arena, where both teams are introduced to fans and then participate in a 3-point contest, dunk contest, drills and scrimmages. It's a tradition started by former head coach Joe B. Hall in 1982 to get people excited about the upcoming season.
While the event itself won't change, the date has been moved up a week earlier than in years past.
The move is due to changes to NCAA rules. Teams previously were only allowed two preseason exhibitions, but that has been upped to three, giving both squads an extra open weekend to play against another program.
Mark Pope's men's team is scheduled to host Little Rock for an exhibition game Oct. 16. Kenny Brooks' women's team has yet to announce any exhibitions.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky sets date for Big Blue Madness basketball event at Rupp Arena