Rupp Arena

LEXINGTON - Kentucky coach John Calipari knew two of the players on his Dominican Republic national team, former Louisville players Edgar Sosa and Francisco Garcia, likely would get less than a warm reception at Rupp Arena on Monday night. The Dominicans faced a team of former UK¿players now on NBA rosters and the home fans made sure Sosa and Garcia knew the UK-Louisville rivalry never stopped. Both were booed loudly. “It was fun. I was expecting that. That's how it is in Big Blue Nation,” said Garcia, who now plays for Sacramento and had 30 points in the Dominican Republic's 106-88 win. Sosa, who had 29 points and six assists, rationalized that the atmosphere would prepare the team when it has to play host Argentina later as it tries to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

LEXINGTON - If you want to know just how special Senior Night at Kentucky can be to fans, let me introduce you to Dr. Bill Watson of DeSoto, Mo. He was at Rupp Arena Tuesday night to watch UK fans give senior Josh Harrellson, a Missouri native, a rousing ovation during an emotional pregame ceremony that had Harrellson joking with teammates while his father and others with him were crying before the Cats had to mount a dramatic rally to beat Vanderbilt...

LEXINGTON - Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis was looking forward to a showdown between the nation's two top-ranked teams when the Cats host North Carolina on Saturday. But that was before the Tar Heels lost to UNLV. Now Kentucky has climbed to No. 1 in the ratings while North Carolina dropped to No. 5 - and still has to play Wisconsin tonight. “It's going to be crazy in Rupp for North Carolina,” said Davis. “It will be a great, great game. Everybody has been wanting to see that game and that's why it will be so crazy.

LEXINGTON ? ESPN is bringing "College GameDay" back to Rupp Arena. The network announced Tuesday the show will air live from the arena on Saturday, Feb. 13, before Kentucky hosts Tennessee. The network will air a pair of live shows from the arena, a one-hour show at 11 a.m. and another show at 8 p.m., an hour before tip-off. The show will also make stops at several other high-profile games next year, including North Carolina-Duke and Villanova-Syracuse. Kentucky will also host Sam Houston State and Rider in November as part of the Cancun Challenge.

If Rupp Arena has lost any of its mystique, Tennessee stars Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith haven't noticed. Smith admits he was a bit overwhelmed when he first went to Rupp Arena to play the Wildcats. "It was amazing. All those fans really show support for their guys. We came out with a loss that I didn't like, but playing in an atmosphere like that was something. Rupp Arena is an arena that everybody knows. It is so historic. It was great just to play there," he said. "It was loud in there.

LEXINGTON - When he was growing up in Australia, A.J. Ogilvy knew a little bit about the basketball tradition at Kentucky. Still, that didn't properly prepare him for his first trip to Rupp Arena last year when UK defeated his Vanderbilt team 79-73 in double overtime. "It was exciting to play at Rupp. I had never played in front of that many people before. But I am looking to playing better this year at Rupp," said Ogilvy, a sophomore center. "In Australia, I had heard about the tradition of Kentucky basketball, but not the fans and Rupp Arena.

LEXINGTON - When Ethan Spurlin helped Lincoln County get to the state tournament, he got a chance to play at Rupp Arena. At the time, he thought that was extra special. However, he's been back at Rupp Arena playing for Transylvania in exhibition games against Kentucky in each of the last two years. In 2011, he helped hold future NBA No. 1 draft pick and Olympic gold medalist Anthony Davis to six points in a game against the eventual NCAA champion Wildcats, and on Monday night he had 11 points and five rebounds in a 74-28 loss to Kentucky and got to go against Nerlens Noel, the nation's top-ranked recruit in 2012, and another bevvy of talented players.

Dear Editor, Tuition at the University of Kentucky keeps going up every year, and so does the price of UK basketball and football tickets. And the city of Lexington keeps raising its city and payroll taxes. This year, Lexington will have to raise its sewer fees because it needs money to fix the sewer problems that it has "overlooked" in the past years. The state seems to be about bankrupt, according to the governor, thus cutting budgets for higher education and several services.

LEXINGTON - Before he was even playing basketball at Henry Clay High School here, Troy Gentry was sure he would one day be playing in Rupp Arena. "I dreamed of playing for the (Kentucky) Wildcats like we all do growing up in Kentucky," said Gentry. "But I wasn't talented enough. My aspirations turned to playing music, something I was more talented at. But I always dreamed of playing in Rupp Arena for the Wildcats. " Tonight he will be playing in Rupp Arena. It's just that it is with Eddie Montgomery for their second annual New Year's Eve concert in the same arena where Montgomery Gentry's beloved Wildcats also play.

Scenes from Kentucky's Big Blue Madness held last Friday night at Rupp Arena.