Basketball season just officially kicked off in the Bluegrass, and Rupp Arena was absolutely electric. A sold-out crowd welcomed both the men’s and women’s teams for their first big look of the year, with a raucous energy that could power the entire season. The place went wild for everyone, but the biggest moment? That had to be the return of an NBA champion.
The Women’s Team Showed Up and Showed OUT with Daggers From Deep
The Women’s Basketball team wasted no time getting the party started when they hit the floor. Coming off a Sweet 16 berth last year, Kenny Brooks and the squad are carrying serious momentum into this season. The Rupp Arena crowd clearly feels it too, roaring for every player and for Coach Brooks during introductions. It was pure hype.
First up, the “Hot Shot” competition. Team 1, featuring Asia Boone, Me’Arah O’Neal, Gabby Brooks, and Savvy Swords, put up a solid 16 points to get things going. Then Team 2 hit the court with Clara Strack, Diana Collins, Emily McDonald, and Jemma Amoore. They came out blazing, draining shots from deep and quickly snagging the lead. Team 3, which included a fan alongside Ajša Sivka, Maddyn Greenway, and Dominika Paurová, tied Team 1 with 16 points. So, yeah, Team 2 took home that drill thanks to their hot start.
Then came the main event, the 3-point shooting contest. Asia Boone got things rolling with a solid 15 points. Me’Arah O’Neal then stepped up, draining her final two shots to clock in at 18 points. A super confident Emily McDonald caught fire early, hitting six in a row and finishing just one point shy of the lead with 17. Those three moved on to the final round, and man, did they deliver! Boone was absolutely clutch, hitting all five shots on the final rack to stack up 20 points. McDonald wasn’t backing down, though, responding by hitting her final shot to tie the score. It all came down to O’Neal, who stayed cool, hitting all five from straightaway and then her final two shots on the last rack to also tie it at 20. Talk about drama! That pushed it to a half-court tiebreaker with a moneyball rack, first player to make a shot wins. After multiple attempts from everyone, Boone rattled one in, sending the crowd wild and earning her the trophy. What a start to the season’s official kickoff!
Mark Pope Welcomes Back an NBA Champ, And Rupp Explodes
After the women set the bar incredibly high, it was time for the men. The roar in Rupp for Malachi Moreno’s introduction was thunderous. But then, things got absolutely wild. A gigantic white sheet dropped to act as a projector screen, playing an intro video for Mark Pope. When it finished, Pope appeared on a massive pedestal, dressed in all black, including a Kentucky varsity jacket, to address the crowd. He then dropped a bombshell, saying he had one more Cat to introduce.
Pope unveiled that he was rocking a Karl-Anthony Towns No. 12 jersey, a fitting welcome home for one of the greatest Cats ever. Towns, fresh off winning the 2026 NBA Championship with the New York Knicks, was greeted with a deafening ovation from the Rupp Arena faithful. This guy only played one season here, but what a season it was, averaging 10.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game even while playing on Kentucky’s platoon squad. NBA scouts knew exactly what Towns had, and he rightfully went No. 1 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. And talk about carrying that success to the pros, in the NBA Playoffs this past Spring, Towns put up 15.9 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game, shooting 55.1% from the field. Having a champion like that back in the building? That’s how you truly kick off a season.
With the energy from Big Blue Madness still buzzing, the upcoming seasons for both teams look absolutely wild. The excitement is through the roof, and if Friday night was any indication, this is going to be a ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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