Countdown to Craziness is the annual Duke Basketball event that kicks off the season. This isn’t your normal basketball scrimmage. As it’s grown, the event has included some fascinating introductions of the team.
Countdown to Craziness is Duke’s event for a midnight madness.
Midnight Madness started in 1971 when then-Maryland coach Lefty Driesell (a former Duke basketball player) invited fans out to a team run. Kentucky upped the ante in 1982 when the Wildcats started their own midnight madness event and included entertainment acts.
Over the years, other colleges started their own midnight madness events. ESPN has realized the popularity of these events and now has a show where its commentators are at select campuses, discussing the upcoming college basketball season and showing video footage of the midnight madness.