La Familia vs. The Ville: Biggest matchup in TBT history takes center stage Monday

John Fanta

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

Kentucky and Louisville. It’s one of college basketball’s greatest rivalries, with the two schools separated by just 78 miles in the commonwealth. It has been years since we’ve talked about the Wildcats-Cardinals clash at a high level nationally in college hoops, but that’s all about to change Monday night.

The Basketball Tournament — now in its 11th year as the sport’s summer alumni event that has become an institution for its NCAA Tournament, 64-team nature and $1 million grand prize — will have its biggest game since its inception while providing the nostalgic injection to the Kentucky and Louisville rivalry that these fan bases are starved for.

La Familia and The Ville, the two alumni teams representing their respective schools, clash at the former home of Louisville Basketball, Freedom Hall, on Monday (9 p.m. ET on FS1) with a spot in the TBT semifinals in Philadelphia up for grabs.

La Familia — powered by members of the 38-1 Wildcats team (2014-15) that included Willie Cauley-Stein, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, along with one of John Calipari’s first Kentucky recruits in former 12-year NBA player Eric Bledsoe, and coached by Tyler Ulis — won its first three TBT games by a combined 72 points.

Its latest performance? A 95-66 demolishing of a team that made the semifinals last year, No. 1 seed Herd That, in which Bledsoe powered La Familia with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists.

As for The Ville, it had a more dramatic path. Led by 2013 national champions and All-Americans Russ Smith and Montrezl Harrell, as well as two-time Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player Peyton Siva, the former Rick Pitino era stars have gutted out some hard-fought wins to be one of eight left standing. In its first-round game, The Ville trailed fellow local team UKnighted (Bellarmine alumni) by 12 at one point but came back to grind out a 79-70 win. On Monday, down 69-65 with an Elam Ending target score of 71, The Ville found a way to tie the score at 69. Then, Harrell, a career 66% free-throw shooter in the NBA, knocked down the game-winning shots to seal a 71-69 victory.

The Ville rolled past Domonique Rodgers-Cromartie’s Team DRC, 83-68, on Wednesday night behind 12 3-pointers and the game-winner from former Cardinal Chris Jones (2013-15).

Once Jones’ shot went in, the “Beat UK” chants from the Louisville faithful began. There was so much instant traffic on TBT’s official website that it crashed because of the spike in fan activity.

The tournament’s attendance record of 7,202 was shattered within an hour, with roughly 9,000 tickets purchased within 12 hours and the total count over 11,000 as of Saturday.

Kentucky and Louisville fans would show up if new head coaches Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey played one another in checkers. They’re not missing the chance to get some July bragging rights, while the players stepping on the court have a chance to get one last word in the rivalry.

“I don’t think Cardinal fans will take Freedom Hall for granted,” Smith said. “It’s going to be 80 or 90% red in there.”

“No, it’s blue country when we go up there (to Louisville),” Cauley-Stein told FOX Sports on Friday when asked about what he expects from the crowd. “I need to see more blue than red. I know how we get down.”

That’s the beauty of TBT: it rekindles college careers, giving fans the opportunity to see their favorite players from yesteryear during a lower-key time of year on the sports calendar — and it will give these players one additional opportunity to leave it all out on the floor and stay in the running for $1 million.

As for the series history, Kentucky has the commanding upper hand with a 37-19 record against Louisville, including 13 wins in the past 16 meetings between the two schools. So yes, the fans in red and black will be out for revenge.

“It will be a battle,” said Jones, who never defeated Kentucky in his Louisville career. “There might be a little blood here and there. We owe them now, but we’re here to play basketball for our brand and our fans. The Louisville brand has been gone for a little while, so we’re trying to bring it back. Monday will be electric. We’ll be ready for it.”

When asked about Jones’ blood comment, Cauley-Stein didn’t hesitate: “It is what it is. That’s what you’re getting into when you play them. We know it will be that type of war.”

What does this matchup mean? For the man behind TBT, Jon Mugar and his team, the atmosphere and sheer number of former NBA players and familiar names on the floor come Monday is everything that the tournament originators could hope for and more when this concept started 11 years ago.

Think about this: five years ago, Lexington hosted a regional at a local high school gym. On Monday, Freedom Hall will be near capacity with Chris Paul sitting courtside, potentially among some other former NBA stars.

It’s a refreshing time for both fan bases. Louisville has not reached the NCAA Tournament in five years, with the program going an ugly 12-52 in the past two seasons. Kentucky has been far better in the regular season, but the Calipari era ended after humiliating first-round March Madness exits to Oakland and Saint Peter’s.

With one of the Untouchables, Mark Pope, in Lexington and a proven winner in Pat Kelsey injecting a totally different and needed energy from Kenny Payne in Louisville, hope has sprung eternal in the commonwealth for so much new happening with both programs. Monday night feels like the culmination of that hope, as the biggest basketball game played in the month of July in Kentucky will take place. And for one night, everybody can go back in time with the power of TBT while seeing the level of passion that’s possible if both the Cats and Cards are winning at a high level again.

Here’s the complete quarterfinals schedule:

Monday 7/29: Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State alumni) vs. Takeover BC (7 p.m. ET on FS1) in Louisville
Monday 7/29: La Familia vs. The Ville (9 p.m. ET on FS1) in Louisville
Tuesday 7/30: Happy Valley Hoopers (Penn State alumni) vs. Eberlein Drive (7 p.m. ET on FS1) in Houston
Tuesday 7/30: Forever Coogs (Houston alumni) vs. Team Colorado (Colorado alumni) (9 p.m. ET on FS2) in Houston

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

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