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Just when you thought the madness for Big Blue Madness tickets couldn’t get any crazier, Kentucky basketball fans show up in record numbers and prove you wrong.

In what looks to be a record first-day turnout, hundreds of tents have packed the lawn around Memorial Coliseum and the Joe Craft Center for a chance at Big Blue Madness tickets. UK Athletics hasn’t tallied an official tent count yet, but officials are estimating it’s an even bigger turnout than last year’s record crowd. UK counted 360 tents after the first day of the campout last year.

Tents are already engulfing Memorial Coliseum and the Joe Craft Center, beginning in front of the Joe Craft Ticket Office, wrapping around the front of Memorial Coliseum and down the side, and back around front of the Joe Craft Center to the blue basketball courts. Construction to the new Wildcat Coal Lodge has taken up some of the previous camping space down Rose Street, but campers have already spilled across Avenue of Champions onto Stoll Field to pitch tents.

Fans couldn’t officially get in line for Big Blue Madness tickets until Wednesday at 7 a.m., but at least 100 campers decided to set up chairs across the street from Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, outside the area UK officials had roped off.

Kentucky coach John Calipari met with fans Wednesday morning as they camped out days in advance for Big Blue Madness tickets. (photo courtesy of Britney McIntosh, UK Athletics)

Control cards will be issued to campers on Friday at 2 p.m. Tickets will be distributed Saturday at 7 a.m.

Head coach John Calipari made a round Wednesday morning through what UK is calling “Big Blue Village” to meet with fans and sign autographs. Below is a small clip from his tour. We’ll have more footage of that in video feature we’re producing for later on in the week, plus a more detailed story later on with a tent count, comments from fans and more.

Stay tuned.