Electing Midnight
By Michael Krumholtz
It took some steady typing and pun-based hashtags from a full delegation of computer-
armed Buff fans. But they finally got what they wanted. On Friday Oct. 12, Buffs
Madness will introduce them to the 2012-2013 men’s and women’s basketball teams.
This preliminary spectacle of basketball democracy will be almost entirely fan-oriented,
rewarding so many for their Twitter cries. Really, they should give the event the same
phrase as this very site: For the fans, by the fans. (Not to mention what a great and subtle
way it would be for us to advertise.)
Administration leaders like Mike Bohn heard the stationary calls from the social media
world and couldn’t ignore them for long. Fans pulsed feeds with #BuffMadness trends
so repeatedly that the program had to take notice. And it started when forward Andre
Roberson and guard Spencer Dinwiddie planted the well-hyped seed over the web.
“We got on social media and urged the fans to show their support,” said Dinwiddie at a
Tuesday presser. “It was really all you guys that made it happen.”
Friday will mark the first men’s basketball practice, per NCAA rules. The women’s team
hit the court on Tuesday for it’s opening practice. Women’s coach Linda Lappe spoke to
how Buffs Madness will allow for a more transparent perspective in the stands.
“You’ll get to see the personalities of our kids,” Lappe said. “You get to see the person
behind the number.”
Midnight Madness practices are a cultural phenomenon on the college basketball
landscape - from Storrs, to East Lansing, to Lawrence. They are inundated into the
structures of those programs that have the largest and most loyal of followings. They
inspire images so vital to making up the entire painting of college athletics innocently
entertaining side, away from the money and politics that can choke all the juice out of the
games.
Outrageous images like Tom Izzo entering a packed Breslin Center in a pseudo-plane, or
the Kentucky women’s head coach Matthew Mitchell moon-walking to “Billie Jean,” are
what build up Midnight Madness.
It’s also an opportunity for players to relax on the court, without the ticking tensions or
stressed muscles that are inevitable throughout the season.
“It’s going to be a great interactive experience where you guys will get to know us a little
better,” Dinwiddie said.
The first-time event is supposed to include a scrimmage, a dunk-contest for the men, and
a 3-point contest for the women, as well as other events. It is scheduled to start at the
conclusion of the 7 p.m. volleyball match and is free for everyone.
The fanatic voices that spread across Twitter like a healthy virus stuffed the ballots in
basketball’s favor. Like a true democracy, the fans got their say. And now they’ll keep
yelling deep into March.
By Michael Krumholtz
It took some steady typing and pun-based hashtags from a full delegation of computer-
armed Buff fans. But they finally got what they wanted. On Friday Oct. 12, Buffs
Madness will introduce them to the 2012-2013 men’s and women’s basketball teams.
This preliminary spectacle of basketball democracy will be almost entirely fan-oriented,
rewarding so many for their Twitter cries. Really, they should give the event the same
phrase as this very site: For the fans, by the fans. (Not to mention what a great and subtle
way it would be for us to advertise.)
Administration leaders like Mike Bohn heard the stationary calls from the social media
world and couldn’t ignore them for long. Fans pulsed feeds with #BuffMadness trends
so repeatedly that the program had to take notice. And it started when forward Andre
Roberson and guard Spencer Dinwiddie planted the well-hyped seed over the web.
“We got on social media and urged the fans to show their support,” said Dinwiddie at a
Tuesday presser. “It was really all you guys that made it happen.”
Friday will mark the first men’s basketball practice, per NCAA rules. The women’s team
hit the court on Tuesday for it’s opening practice. Women’s coach Linda Lappe spoke to
how Buffs Madness will allow for a more transparent perspective in the stands.
“You’ll get to see the personalities of our kids,” Lappe said. “You get to see the person
behind the number.”
Midnight Madness practices are a cultural phenomenon on the college basketball
landscape - from Storrs, to East Lansing, to Lawrence. They are inundated into the
structures of those programs that have the largest and most loyal of followings. They
inspire images so vital to making up the entire painting of college athletics innocently
entertaining side, away from the money and politics that can choke all the juice out of the
games.
Outrageous images like Tom Izzo entering a packed Breslin Center in a pseudo-plane, or
the Kentucky women’s head coach Matthew Mitchell moon-walking to “Billie Jean,” are
what build up Midnight Madness.
It’s also an opportunity for players to relax on the court, without the ticking tensions or
stressed muscles that are inevitable throughout the season.
“It’s going to be a great interactive experience where you guys will get to know us a little
better,” Dinwiddie said.
The first-time event is supposed to include a scrimmage, a dunk-contest for the men, and
a 3-point contest for the women, as well as other events. It is scheduled to start at the
conclusion of the 7 p.m. volleyball match and is free for everyone.
The fanatic voices that spread across Twitter like a healthy virus stuffed the ballots in
basketball’s favor. Like a true democracy, the fans got their say. And now they’ll keep
yelling deep into March.