Kentucky Midnight Madness 2019: Recap and Reaction for Wildcats

The 2019-20 Kentucky Wildcats were on display for the first time Friday night during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena.

As is always the case with the program, expectations are incredibly high heading into the season. Kevin Flaherty of 247Sports wrote in July that the Wildcats have the pieces in place to be a Final Four team:

"Kentucky has elite talent after loading up with another top recruiting class. And the Wildcats seem to be on repeat from last year in that those freshmen are joined by a significant amount of experience, whether it's with the Wildcats—enter sophomores Ashton Hagans, Immanuel Quickley, EJ Montgomery and junior Nick Richards, former five-stars all—or at another school, like Bucknell graduate transfer Nate Sestina."

The crown jewel for head coach John Calipari's freshman class is Tyrese Maxey, whom 247Sports ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect in the 2019 class. He's joined by fellow 5-stars Kahlil Whitney and Keion Brooks Jr.

Once player introductions were done and the crowd got to greet them in a wild frenzy, Calipari stepped up to the podium to address the fans.

Coach Cal also used his platform to brag about how much Kentucky has shaped the NBA:

The on-court activities provided a glimpse of what's in store for the Wildcats. Things started with a three-point contest.

Defending champion Immanuel Quickley put his teammates on notice by retaining his crown as the best shooter on the roster. The sophomore knocked off Maxey in the final and added a little flair on his last attempt:

There was plenty of room for the new guys to make their presence felt. Whitney, in particular, nearly brought the house down during the dunk contest when he flew over three people:

But that rim-rocker wasn't enough to win the fan vote because Maxey went between his legs to dazzle the crowd.

After those contests, the players took part in a scrimmage.

Big Blue Madness is both a hype machine for the upcoming season and a recruiting tool, and few programs in the country can compete with what the Wildcats present. Fans always turn out in droves for the event, and Calipari is as good as anyone at selling his program.

The 2019-20 Kentucky squad looks like a formidable group ready to make another run at a national title after the Wildcats lost to SEC rival Auburn in the Elite Eight last season.