You will enjoy the atmosphere from upper arena much more than lower. The fans up there are so much more devoted, as a rule, and more boistrous than the non-student portions of the lower arena.

You really need to go to Joe Bologna’s before/after the game, just allow a lot of time for anything you do!

Parking depends on which direction you need to go after the game. Always park somewhere you can turn right out of and be heading away from the arena (never towards it). Actually Lexington police do a pretty good job of working the lights and keeping all that traffic moving. I am often amazed at how far out away from Rupp officers will be stationed controlling the lights.

Stay at the Hyatt – it’s attached to Rupp. You walk through the lobby and right into the Arena (It’s as cool as the other side of your pillow!). You can also have breakfast in the hotel … it was good as well ….

It is always awesome. I always park away from Rupp and walk. I have never had any problems getting out of downtown. UK fans are gracious towards one another, especially after winning! :-)

You’ll want something to remember your first trip to Heaven on earth.

take binoculars.

about a hour or two before the game…..you never know who you may run into….

I will keep this all in mind.
Camera Check
Binocs Check
Joe Bolognas Check
Hyatt Check
Food Court Check
It looks like I may be able to score some UNC tickets!

oddly wasn’t to see a UK game. It was to see an NBA exhibition game sometime in the late 80s or early 90s between the Bulls and the Super Sonics – got to see Jordan play live. Very cool.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn (Holidome!), and my mom left our camera sitting out by the pool and it was stolen, so I have no pictues of Jordan now.

I made many trips when I was a kid for the high school basketball tournament. I probably saw a few of those before seeing UK play.

I’d guess I visited Rupp 3 or 4 times before seeing UK play there. Heh.

for you, Lyric Smith, but I know music is important to you (and therefore your ears) — and I know that years of loud music kinda left my ears with some ‘ringing’ problems, so….

.. I know that whenever I go to Rupp and forget to take some discreet ear plugs with me, I usually regret it… (don’t worry, as you know it won’t keep you from feeling the crowd!)

was a dream come true!! I was able to get in on press credentials with all access to the entire facility. Since I was there with the Razorback media and my "duties’ include getting player quotes in the Arkansas locker room afterwards I was dressed conservatively (I had a UK t-shirt on underneath my button up though!). I got there two hours before the game, parked in the media parking around back, bid my wife and daughter g’bye (they went shopping) and entered the hallowed ground of Rupp. I got to eat free snacks and finger foods in the media area. I saw the local media reps (I didn’t recognize Tipton at first, he’s more emaciated in person, at that time anyway) and wandered the back hallways. Eventually I ended up on the walkways around the court. I paced around there chit chatting with the folks working in the stands. Shortly afterwards Rashaad Carruth came out on the floor with a trainer and began shooting threes. While he was doing that I helped the guys from ARSN radio get their board setup, check the stats computer, and make sure they were good to go before their pre-game show. Once their show started I wandered around some more, caught the UK players in the back hallway as they were coming out for a quick shootaround, got some more free food and finally wandered back to press row area for the game. I got to sit next to the millionaire club at the end of the press table for the entire game!!!! This will probably sound lame but I actually got to touch the game ball when it skipped out of bounds in front of me!!! Unfortunately it went out on UK and a Razorback player inbounded near me. :(

All in all, it was an awesome experience and one that will probably never happen again. That’s okay. I won the lottery and I got to hang out and listen to a legend of broadcasting, Paul Eells. He normally did the football games only but one of the other guys got sick so he filled in. Since I worked with him at KATV regularly we got to joke around and he also knew what that trip to Rupp meant to me. He chided me to remember to get Razorback quotes and not stray into the UK locker room. :)

That was also the game where Nolan Richardson went off saying that Arkansas could buy him out. I was there watching him go off and I remember thinking to myself, “This dude isn’t going to be here long if he keeps that up!” I got to listen to Tubby and Tay talk about the game and I soooooooo wanted to leave with autographs but I thought it would be unseemly if I went around asking for them while sporting a press pass.

I took home the memory of a UK win, an historical moment in college basketball and the joy of being HOME. :)

Have fun LyricSmith!!! No matter where you are you are THERE!!!!

GO BIG BLUE!!!!

My first trip actually started in Columbia S.C. My wife (at the time) and I had went to Columbia for the UK vs USC game. UK won handily and after the game we sat around and listened to the post-game radio show in the Coliseum. Then as we went to the parking lot the team bus was arriving so I hung around to get a few autographs. I collected Tayshauns and few more meanwhile my wife had taken up a conversation with a lady smoking a cigarette who turned out to be Donna Smith wife of Tubby Smith. I was thrilled to meet her.

After we were on the road home, my wife was telling me about her conversation with Donna and how she told her we were planning to go to Lexington (even without a ticket )since I had never been to Rupp and had always wanted to go. She tells me that Donna had offered to get us tickets to a game if we ever came to Lexington. I said “yeah right” … she said “no, she gave me her cell phone number” another “yeah right … ok”. So, the next week we headed to Lexington … Donna Smith ticket or not we were on our way.

On the drive up, my wife says “should I call her?” and I was thinking what have we got to lose might as well give it shot. So she dials the number and low and behold Donna Smith answers the phone …. hair stood right up on the back of my neck – I swear. She asked how long would it be before we got to Lexington and where were planning to stay since it was Friday. We really didn’t know where we would stay until she gave us the tip (see above) – stay at the Hyatt. She said she would get some tickets to us and to call her when we got to Lexington. From that point on, the trip was somewhat surreal. It gets better.

We called her when we got to the Hotel and she said she would have some tickets to the game sent over in the morning. (Hair standing up on my neck thing again). The next morning the phone rings in the hotel room and the lady says you have a guest in the lobby. We were expecting the tickets but we were not expecting Donna Smith to deliver them. She offered to buy us breakfast (which is where the other tip came from) . We had some good conversation and she presented us with two tickets for the game. It was a great trip already … then game time. We walked through the lobby and into the arena. I located an usher to see where our seats were. He pointed down toward the floor. We followed down, down, down until we were about three rows from the floor and who was sitting there but Donna Smith. We were her guest for the game and our seats were right behind the bench. At half time we got to go back into the locker room. It was an awesome game (and win) against a tough Mississippi squad. After the game, there was a “bash” for the Tubby Smith Foundation … we got autographs from all of the players, Tubby and even some of the cheeerleaders …. It was an awesome time. Must of thanked Donna a hundred times … I have to say the Smith’s really embraced UK Basketball.

Hope you enjoy your first trip just as much ….. GO CATS!!

http://bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/Games/19880228Syracuse.html

I was too young to appreciate how big a game that was, but the crowd was incredible.

My son’s first game will be the UNC game this season, and he has no idea how big that game will be.

The food is surprisingly sub par in the arena