Hear that? That squeaky sound of rubber midsoles (well, not so much rubber anymore) squeaking across the hardwood floor under a mixed sky of spotlights and firework smoke? Well, you don’t hear it quite yet, but in about four hours, you won’t be able to escape it. I’m talking about the official start of the college basketball season; an event that’s kicked into gear by that age-old tradition of Midnight Madness — otherwise known as the first (legal) day of basketball practice.

Only, it’s not so much a midnight event anymore.

As they are wont to do, ESPN will be all over these proceedings, using their ESPNU outlet to show footage from a number of different events, including:

* ESPNU Campus Connection elements from students at Connecticut, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and North Carolina;

* Coverage of women’s programs, including NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champion Connecticut;

* Bonus reports and interviews from other schools.

Over at The Dagger, Eamonn was kind enough to put together a list of what fans can expect at a few of these events:

Connecticut: “First Night” (Sounds like a new NBC drama.)

Duke: “Countdown to Craziness” (Weak.)

Kansas: “Late Night in the Phog” (Very ominous.)

Michigan State: “Midnight Madness” (Bor-ing.)

North Carolina: “Late Night With Roy Williams” (I have no doubt that a “Late Night” hosted by Roy Williams would be five times as entertaining as anything Jay Leno’s done all year.)

Kentucky: “Big Blue Madness” (Possibly the name of a children’s book about jello.)

Washington: “Midnight Madness” (Boooo!)

Georgetown: “Midnight Madness” (OK, all right, fine, I give up.)

North Dakota State: “The Late Show With Bison Basketball”

I, for one (No, not one. A lot, actually) will be watching the debut of John Wall and John Calipari at Kentucky; although, that whole “Evening with Roy Williams” sounds intriguing.

If Williams comes out in a smoking jacket with a snifter of brandy and a cigar to sultry tunes of Ella Fitzgerald, life might just be complete — or the cosmos might collapse. I’m not sure which.

Tags: John Calipari, Kentucky Wildcats, Midnight Madness, North Carolina Tar Heels, Roy Williams

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