Is this a fever dream? Excitement was high for Mark Pope’s first Big Blue Madness and so far, it has delivered — and then some.

Let’s start with the player intros. The players walked down to the court from different sections of the arena, greeting fans, taking pictures, and handing out shirts. Trent Noah, a native of Harlan, entered to a cover of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” while fellow Kentuckian Travis Perry came out to the Call to the Post and Travis Tritt’s “It’s a Great Day To Be Alive.”

Collin Chandler really got the 90s nostalgia going with the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way.” Koby Brea celebrated his Dominican heritage with a DR flag, and Kerr Kriisa brought the laughs with Beyonce’s “Single Ladies,” hamming it up by pointing to his ring finger. We flashed back to the 90s when Andrew Carr came out to the Macarena — and did the dance.