UK Basketball launches new Facebook Watch series

Kentucky Wildcats fans will get an special look view into the basketball team with a new sports docu-series, which will begin airing this weekend on Facebook Watch.

The series is called “Inside the Madness: University of Kentucky Basketball,” and it’s a 10-episode series that will showcase a behind-the-scenes look at the greatest program in college basketball.

Airing every Saturday on Facebook Watch, the docu-series will provide access to the team and head coach John Calipari as they go through the 2017-18 season, prepare for the NCAA Tournament, and grow to become the best versions of themselves.

From the executive producers of Showtime’s “A Season With,” the series will go behind the scenes to not only explore the action on the court, but also the lives of student-athletes and the social responsibility that comes from being in the national spotlight.

”We get approached all the time to do all-access shows,” Calipari said. “The one question I always have is, what is our why? Why are we doing this? As our fans know, we are transparent in everything we do so there is never a concern about the access we give. It’s what makes this different than any other show?

“What I liked about (executive producers) Tom Cappello and Jason Sciavicco’s approach to this show is what they wanted to show. It wasn’t about the games or showing how I coach or a lesson in Kentucky basketball; it was about showing the type of kids we have here and the family atmosphere we’ve created. They wanted to show that there’s more than just wins and losses with these kids; it’s about preparing them for the rest of their lives.

“The great thing is their crew can do that while being of no distraction to our team and our goals. They’re around, but they’re a fly on the wall. We get to open the doors to our team in a way we’ve never done before while I coach my team and these kids learn.”

New episodes of Inside the Madness will air on Facebook Watch on Saturdays beginning Feb. 17. Fans can add the show to their watch lists by following the Inside the Madness: Kentucky Basketball show page on Facebook Watch.

Here is the current episode schedule:

• Episode 1: Saturday, Feb. 17
• Episode 2: Saturday, Feb. 24
• Episode 3: Saturday, March 3
• Episode 4: Saturday, March 10
• Episode 5: Wednesday, March 14
• Episode 6: Saturday, March 17
• Episode 7: Wednesday, March 21
• Episode 8: Saturday, March 24
• Episodes 9 and 10: Saturday, March 31