University of Kentucky students started lining up at 6 am for a chance to be the first ones inside Rupp Arena for the Wildcats’ matchup with the ninth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. The line to get into the Kentucky student section started inside the Central Bank Center and wrapped all the way around the building, down High Street, almost to Broadway.
About 2.5 hours before tip-off, I started at the front of the line, spoke to the early risers, then made the long procession to the end of the line outside Rupp Arena, speaking to the most charismatic characters I could find along the way.