Tour of RUPP

Earlier this year I won a contest in which I got lower level tickets to see the Wildcats play basketball at RUPP. Included in the contest was a tour of RUPP Arena and the Men's Basketball locker room. I was able to take a guest so I took Jennifer along for the experience and she ended up being my photographer. It ended up being an amazing time and the only thing that would have made it better is if the players and coaches had actually been around for the tour.

Center court of RUPP. I can't imagine playing on this court in front of 24,000 screaming fans.

The front entrance to the locker room. Most of the flooring in the locker room is the actual floor from the 2012 National Championship that was played in New Orleans.

The last thing the players see before leaving the locker room is this wall of Kentucky players in the NBA. What is amazing about this wall is that it changes multiple times a year. This is because when a player gets traded to a new team they update the wall to reflect the change.

The wall opposite the players in the NBA is a wall commemorating all 8 of the Kentucky Championships.

Also in the front entrance is a replica trophy of the 2012 National Championship Trophy.

Sitting in Coach Calipari's chair in the locker room. I loved all the painted commemorative balls that he had up on the wall.The room also had tons of awesome photos of past players and they were all signed too. I would have loved to have added a few of these pictures to my memorabilia collection at home.

Here is the film room and where Coach Calipari talks with the players about game plan and where they also rest and make adjustments at halftime.

The actual locker room. The floor is the center court logo from the 2012 Championship game. The tour guide said that coach rarely talks to the players in this room. It is supposed to be an area where the players relax and get prepared mentally for the game.

I just had to take a picture with a few of my favorite's lockers from this years team. Tyler Ulis was an amazing player to watch and I am so glad that he came back for his sophomore season. He has an amazing heart and it more than makes up for his 5'9" size.

I couldn't help but shoot my bow and arrow in front of my favorite Wildcat. He is my favorite wildcat and I wish that he had been able to propel the team further in the tournament. He is such a natural talent and I can't wait to see what his future holds because I think it won't be long until he is a superstar.  

Another picture of the locker room so that you could see the championship banner that hangs from the ceiling.

There were a couple of large prints that I would love to have of the Final Fours that I was able to attend. This is from the 2014 Final Four in Dallas that I attended with my dad. The part that makes it awesome is that the entire team signed the print. Apparently Coach Calipari also uses this as part of his recruiting. He asks all the recruits what is wrong with this picture. If they can tell him then he knows that they are actually fans of Kentucky and that they care about the program. Do you know what is wrong with it? (Answer at the bottom.)

Here is one of the magical 38-1 season that is signed by the entire team. I still can't believe that this season ended the way it did. McKinley and I were present to see the only loss that this team had.

One last selfie with the 2012 Championship Trophy before leaving to finish the tour.

This is the visitors locker room. The entire locker room is just slightly larger than the front entrance to the Wildcats locker room. The lockers are the original lockers that were used by the Wildcats before the remodel in 2013. I also thank the blue and white checkerboard floor is a nice touch.

After the tour we decided to grab a bite to eat before going to pick up the kids. We stopped into Jennifer's favorite place downtown, Pies and Pints for some pizza.

It was an amazing experience to be able to see behind the scenes where all the players and coaches spend their time on game days. I wish that every Wildcat fan could see it in person. I also think it is awesome to think how many famous people have been in all of those same areas where we just walked. Thanks for reading and God bless!

Answer to what is wrong with the poster: Nerlens Noel did not play on the Final Four team in 2014. He was on the team the previous year when the team lost in the first round of the NIT.