Welcome back, Big Blue Nation. After a long summer of rest and relaxation, soaking up the sun with limited basketball content to chew on — and we were blessed with TBT for the first time, along with the excitement of Mark Pope‘s first run of workouts in Lexington — the real stuff is finally here. A new era of Kentucky basketball began early Monday morning with the season officially beginning in the NCAA’s eyes, according to Bylaw 17.1.5.1.

A student-athlete’s participation in countable athletically related activities shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day and 20 hours per week.

The days of ramp-up workouts this summer and upon returning to campus for the fall semester are over. It’s time to get the Cats ready for the season with Pro Day, UK Media Day and Big Blue Madness just two weeks away, SEC Media Day and the Blue/White Preseason Event three weeks away and the first exhibition game exactly one month from today on Oct. 23.

Crazy, right? Let’s celebrate with the return of 4-Point Play.

Cameron Mills soaks in day one at the Joe Craft Center

Pope isn’t taking it easy on the Wildcats, whipping his boys into shape before sunrise this morning. The coaches sharing on social media that they turned the lights on at 5 AM to get “Hell Week” started with a quick workout to get themselves ready, followed by practice with the team at 6:30 AM.

Former Kentucky sharpshooter Cameron Mills was there for day one, which he says was an excellent start for the Cats heading into the season.

“(First) practice of Hell Week. All out, 2X a day. Exhaustion, mental fatigue, jelly legs. It was all there,” Mills wrote. “BUT so was the desire to drive each other across the line TOGETHER. This morning had it all & it was good.”

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a minute-long hype video worth? This one may actually leave you speechless as Kentucky dropped some unreleased practice footage featuring everything you could possibly need to get ready for the season.

Koby Brea stepback three? Check. Amari Williams poster dunk on Brandon Garrison? Check. Travis Perry finding Jaxson Robinson for a backdoor slam? Check. Kerr Kriisa going nuclear after drilling a contested jumper? Check.

“It gets a lot more fun when the official practice comes,” assistant coach Mark Fox says in the clip.

Our journey starts now. #GoBigBlue pic.twitter.com/NOmS4NIJdE

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) September 22, 2024

More fun than that? Sign me up.

Bruce Pearl says Coach Cal’s exit was ‘win-win’ for parties involved

Speaking of the start of basketball season, one of Pope’s new coaching rivals in the SEC had a few things to say about his move to Lexington and Coach Cal’s departure to Arkansas. Sitting down with the Barstool College Football Show this weekend, Bruce Pearl said the league is in better shape now than it was a season ago with both programs in good hands.

“I just think it makes the league better,” he said. “Kentucky is always going to be Kentucky. Coach Pope does an unbelievable job and Cal just raises the level of the league at Arkansas — and he’s got like $7 million in NIL. You combine all of those things and they’re going to do a pretty good job.”

The Auburn head coach said John Calipari‘s time at Kentucky had run its course and a fresh start was best for both sides, Big Blue Nation looking for a new voice in Lexington while the Razorbacks were ready to welcome him to Fayetteville with open arms.

“I think it was a win-win,” he added. “John did an amazing job at Kentucky, but what else could he do? You win a championship every year, they’d be unhappy. He kind of wore out his welcome a little bit, so he goes to Arkansas as one of the best coaches in the league where he’s going to bring unbelievable attention. College GameDay will go to Arkansas now because John Calipari and his players are there. He just makes the league better.”

Bruce Pearl on @BarstoolCFB

“Kentucky is always going to be Kentucky”

“College GameDay will go to Arkansas now because of John Calipari and his players there”

Also says it’s a Win-Win Situation

Do you agree?

🎥:@BarstoolCFB pic.twitter.com/KMnGYTZmE5

— HS Top Recruits (@HSTopRecruiting) September 21, 2024

Barion Brown does the John Wall Dance

Basketball season may be starting, but we’re just getting to the good stuff with football season — a 41-6 win over Ohio serving as the perfect tune-up for Kentucky ahead of its trip to Oxford to face No. 6 Ole Miss this weekend.

Among the five touchdowns scored by the Wildcats at Kroger Field? A 23-yard jet sweep by Barion Brown, who found himself in the end zone before the Bobcats could blink twice. It was his first rushing score of the season and third touchdown total in what has been an up and down start to the year.

How did he celebrate? By doing the John Wall Dance, of course.

Speedy and shifty, @BarionBrown TOUCHDOWN 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/W5VqUJxV3z

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 21, 2024

More of that, please.