Midnight Madness (basketball)
Midnight Madness (and variations) | |
---|---|
Genre | Athletic exhibition and celebration |
Dates | Friday near October 15 |
Location(s) | Individual schools |
Years active | 1970 to 71–present |
Midnight Madness is an annual event celebrating the upcoming college basketball season in which a team opens its first official practice to the public, often combining it with a pep rally and other fan-friendly activities. The tradition originated from teams holding public practices at midnight on the earliest day that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) would allow a practice to be held. In 2013, a new NCAA rule established some flexibility around the opening of a team's practice sessions. As a result, the dates on which teams celebrate Midnight Madness can vary, but most stick with the traditional date of a Friday night closest to October 15.
History
Prior to the
In 1982, coach
In 2013, the NCAA ruled that men's practices could begin two weeks earlier than the traditional date, so long as teams held no more than 30 days of practice in the six weeks prior to the first regular-season game.[9] This change was made to provide more flexible scheduling that accommodated off days in the preseason practice schedule. However, the women's programs rejected moving the date forward so as not to conflict with recruiting.[10][11] As a result of practices beginning so early, several teams opted to celebrate Midnight Madness later in the six-week practice window.[12][13]
Details
In the 21st century, most basketball programs from large
Some of the more outlandish occurrences during such events included coach participation, such as
As of 2006, the University of Kentucky held the record for attendance at this type of sports rally with an attendance of 23,312 at Rupp Arena.[7] Kentucky has sold out Rupp Arena multiple times for what they call "Big Blue Madness" and in the 2008–09 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball season fans had to camp out in lines for days in advance to obtain tickets.[20]
One celebratory function of the evening is often to raise
Exceptions
In 2008, some teams attempted to host Midnight Madness in association with special early restricted practices instead of the first day of regular practices. These universities felt that since their football teams had
Kentucky was one of the schools that held their public practice event a week early in part because they could lure more recruiting prospects during a week when most other programs were not hosting similar events.[20] The National Association of Basketball Coaches asked the Southeastern Conference to force Kentucky to adhere to the traditionally scheduled practice to no avail.[20] They then belatedly petitioned the NCAA to legislate conformity unsuccessfully.[20] Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie had contacted the Kentucky's compliance office, the SEC and the NCAA to ensure that no rules were being violated.[20]
Illinois head coach Bruce Weber had also received permission for the early practice festivities from the NCAA.[26] He had proposed having a September 13 session in association with a home football game against Louisiana–Lafayette. The date with the Ragin' Cajuns would have in all likelihood been a more favorable day in terms of the climate, but this date preceded even the Offseason Workout Rule dates.[25] It is anticipated that in the future, public basketball practices linked to the Offseason Workout Rule will be banned.[26] Illinois claimed that their date change was not intended to give it a recruiting advantage in terms of scheduling conflicts.[26]
Notes
- ^ Sports Whirl, The Virgin Islands Daily News, October 16, 1970.
- ^ a b c d e Pucin, Diane (October 17, 2008). "No 'Midnight Madness' for UCLA, USC basketball teams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (October 13, 2007). "Lefty's midnight run started all the Madness". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on March 26, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ "Midnight Special - Celebrating 20 Years of Big Blue Madness". UKAthletics.com. October 11, 2001. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- The Courier-Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
- ^ "Kansas Fans Can Witness". Official Athletics Website of the University of Kansas. CBS Interactive. October 15, 2008. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ a b "Champs take court for Midnight Madness: Florida enjoyed last year's title, but has turned all focus to this season". NBC Universal. October 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ Telep, Dave and Evan Daniels (October 12, 2007). "On Campus: Midnight Madness". ScoutHoops.com and Scout.com. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ "Midnight Madness to start earlier". ESPN. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ Hosick, Michelle Brutlag (May 3, 2013). "Calendar moves forward for Midnight Madness". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ Brennan, Eamonn (May 3, 2013). "Earlier practice date approved for fall". ESPN. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- MLive.com. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ Dauster, Rob (September 24, 2013). "Maryland to host their 2013 Midnight Madness at Cole Field House". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Skwara, Andrew. "Midnight Madness preview". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ "Signing Dates: For Prospective Student-Athletes Enrolling in the 2011-2012 Academic Year". NCAA. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Midnight Madness On ESPNU Coming To Gonzaga: Bulldogs one of five schools featured in Oct. 17 program". The Official Athletic Site of the Gonzaga Bulldogs. CBS Interactive. October 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 20, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ "'Let's get ready to repeat': Kentucky treats crowd to crazy sneak preview". CNN/SI. October 19, 1998. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
- ^ "University of New Haven Midnight Madness 2007-08 On Sunday, October 14". University of New Haven, Athletic Media Relations. October 5, 2007. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ^ "OVU Midnight Madness Basketball Set for Oct. 14". Ohio Valley University. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f DeCourcy, Mike (October 9, 2008). "Kentucky's Madness change is no big deal: Coaches board acting ridiculous to get all up in arms about Gillispie's move". NBC Universal. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- The E.W. Scripps Co.October 18, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ Stell, Jeff (October 18, 2008). "Catching up with Harrison Barnes". Ames Tribune. Iowa Newspapers, Inc. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ "ESPNU Going Mad for Midnight Madness; Nine Schools to be Featured in Four-Hour Special". ESPN. October 8, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009.
- ^ "Five teams host Midnight Madness on Friday". Big Ten Network. October 14, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2009. [dead link]
- ^ a b Katz, Andy (September 9, 2008). "UK celebrates Midnight Madness a week early". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Illini hosts largest outdoor hoops practice: Men's, women's teams play on a portable court at football stadium". NBC Universal. October 11, 2008. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- ^ "Minnesota 27, Illinois 20". ESPN Internet Ventures. October 11, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
- About.com. Archived from the originalon October 22, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
External links
- ESPN 2010 Midnight Madness highlight video
- Midnight Madness and the Michigan State University Men's Basketball Team