John Fanta
College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It was a night 11 years in the making, one that will live on forever in the history of The Basketball Tournament. A total of 13,506 fans – including 12-time NBA All-Star and TBT partner Chris Paul – packed Freedom Hall on Monday night to watch the matchup between La Familia and The Ville, which featured 11 former NBA players.
The echoes were awoken from a place Louisville basketball hasn’t called home in 14 years, but in the end, it was silence from the sea of red. Former Kentucky standout Andrew Harrison, the twin of fellow La Familia teammate and legendary UK shotmaker Aaron Harrison, put his stamp on the Battle of the Bluegrass State with a game-winning triple to seal a 70-61 win over The Ville and book a trip to Friday’s semifinals (7/9 p.m. ET on FS1).
For Kentucky, which fielded an alumni team for the second time in TBT history, this year was about avenging a first-round exit in their first-ever appearance in the event back in 2019. General manager Twany Beckham and head coach Tyler Ulis, who’s following John Calipari to Arkansas after The Basketball Tournament concludes, have done just that and now stand two wins away from $1 million.
La Familia will head to the semifinals and take on 2019 TBT champion Carmen’s Crew, the Ohio State alumni team, which made a massive statement Monday night with a 90-74 victory over Takeover BC. At one point, Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes led by 40. It will be a tough test for La Familia when they go up against the band of Buckeyes on Friday night in Philadelphia.
Here are three takeaways from Monday night’s TBT action:
1. Willie Cauley-Stein balled out and Nate Sestina’s shooting was the difference for La Familia
The 30-year-old Cauley-Stein, who played seven seasons in the NBA and was a consensus first-team All-American on Kentucky’s legendary 38-1 team in 2014-15 that bowed out in the Final Four, said heading into TBT that he needed the energy of Big Blue Nation in his life to produce a spark in his basketball career. With the bright lights on him Monday, Cauley-Stein showed why he’s a Kentucky fan favorite, going for 20 points, nine rebounds and four steals, all while shooting 8-of-9 from downtown. His defensive activity was off the charts and the amount of pressure the 2016 NBA All-Rookie selection put on the rim changed the game. In a matchup with 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell, Cauley-Stein had the last word and controlled the paint scoring.
The difference in Monday night’s rivalry win for La Familia, though, was Nate Sestina. The 2024 Turkish Super League champion proved that TBT spotlights some of the best talent from across the globe. In a game where both teams struggled to shoot in the first half, the 6-foot-9 Sestina sparked a 26-11 third quarter in favor of the Kentucky alumni, going on a personal 9-0 run at one point. He finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, shooting 6-for-14 from downtown.
2. Carmen’s Crew has the pieces to win a second TBT title
Sullinger has not played in TBT since 2018, but the former two-time first-team All-American was convinced by his children to hit the hardwood in a Buckeyes uniform again. After coaching the Ohio State alumni to The Basketball Tournament crown five years ago, the 6-9 forward posted seven points and 10 rebounds in Monday’s blowout win over Takeover BC.
Ohio State’s alumni team led 52-25 at halftime, starting the game 15-for-30 from 3-point land and seeing 10 different players score in the first half. Andre Wesson, who had his Ohio State career cut short by COVID-19 in 2020, is having the last word now as a Buckeye. The 6-6 wing led the way with 16 points on Monday, while point guard and UT-Arlington product Erick Neal posted a dozen points in a dominant victory. In total, eight different players knocked down a triple and the Buckeyes alumni held lead Takeover BC scorer AJ English to 1-for-7 from the floor. Between lockdown defense, hot shooting and a 44-32 advantage on the glass, Carmen’s Crew showed their best as they coasted to win No. 4 in their pursuit of $1 million.
3. Monday night was a celebration of basketball
Nearly 14,000 people were in an arena on a Monday night in July for a basketball game. It felt like a winter night at Freedom Hall. It absolutely felt like Louisville and Kentucky.
There was drama at the end of the game following the handshake line, but that’s to be expected. Something wouldn’t be right with Kentucky and Louisville if they were cordial after a game. It was a perfect reminder of what it means to the commonwealth and how much it matters in college basketball. For Kentucky and Louisville, who usher in the Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey eras, respectively, there is energy and hope for what can be under new leadership for both programs, with Kentucky trying to turn a corner in March and Louisville trying to get the car started again.
On Monday night, for two hours, the nostalgia of TBT and the ability of this event to create new memories was on display. It was great for the sport of basketball, and it was perfect for the future of this event. With the eyes of the country watching, it was a reminder that the Cardinals and Wildcats have formed one of the top rivalries in college basketball, and The Basketball Tournament has found a window in the ever-chaotic sports calendar to become a summer basketball tradition. The scene on Monday was one of the best I’ve ever seen covering basketball, and it gave us a taste of March while La Familia reminded everybody that the state continues to belong to Big Blue Nation.
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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