Kentucky
The Ville vs La Familia score updates: Kentucky vs Louisville TBT game at Freedom Hall
The biggest game in the history of The Basketball Tournament is here.
Former Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats are at Freedom Hall and will face off at 9 p.m. for an opportunity to advance to TBT’s Final Four in Philadelphia. The winner of the tournament will claim its $1 million grand prize.
With bragging rights also on the line, the teams representing the Cards (The Ville) and Cats (La Familia) will play in front of a record-breaking TBT crowd of 11,000-plus at the Fairgrounds.
Courier Journal journalists C.L. Brown, Brooks Holton, Ryan Black and Clare Grant are at Freedom Hall and will have updates — here and on X, formerly Twitter — throughout the action and complete coverage after. You can follow them at @clbrownhoops, @brooksHolton, @RyanABlack and @ClareGPhotos.
The Ville went on a 15-6 run to close out the first half and cut La Familia’s lead to three.
Eric Bledsoe and Willie Cauley-Stein have a combined 17 points.
The Ville’s Chinanu Onuaku has eight points and 13 rebounds.
The announced attendance for tonight’s game between The Ville and La Familia at Freedom Hall was 13,506.
The previous TBT attendance record was 7,202.
Twelve-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul will be in the crowd for The Ville vs. La Familia tonight.
Paul is a co-owner of TBE Enterprises; which puts on TBT and The Soccer Tournament.
Paul, 39, is heading into his 20th season in the NBA. He recently signed to play for the San Antonio Spurs.
As of 7:45 p.m. Monday, La Familia was a five-point favorite (-115) over The Ville on DraftKings, which set an over-under line of 149.5 points (-115).
The money-line odds were La Familia (-215), The Ville (+165).
C.L. Brown: Louisville-Kentucky rivalry is unmatched. The Ville vs. La Familia latest example
Cards vs. Cats: Our mock draft using Louisville and Kentucky’s TBT rosters
‘Hungry to win’: Former U of L star Reece Gaines embracing opportunity to lead The Ville
Rivalry showdown set: The Ville wins Louisville regional championship
Column: The Ville is preview of energy Pat Kelsey will bring back to Louisville basketball
Wildcats win: La Familia claims Lexington regional title at Rupp Arena
La Familia vs. The Ville will air on FS1.
The La Familia/The Ville game will be livestreamed on the official TBT website, which can be accessed here.
You also can stream FS1 on Fubo, which offers a free trial here.
- Dillon Avare, a Lexington native who played at Louisville from 2014-16, then transferred to Eastern Kentucky for his final two seasons of eligibility. Avare logged five minutes during last year’s TBT.
- Chane Behanan, a physical forward from Cincinnati whose time with the Cards (2011-13) came to an abrupt end when he was dismissed from the program due to a failed drug test. Behanan finished second on The Ville in points (13.3) and rebounds (seven) per game last summer.
- Chris Dowe, a Louisville native who starred at Eastern High School before playing at Bellarmine from 2009-13. The 6-foot-2 guard played for The Ville last summer and averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
- Montrezl Harrell, an eight-year NBA vet who was a freshman during U of L’s national championship run in 2013. Harrell missed the 2023-24 season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL and a meniscus tear in his right knee.
- David Johnson, a Louisville native whom the Toronto Raptors selected 47th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft after his sophomore year with the Cards. The Trinity High School grad spent the 2023-24 season playing for the Memphis Hustle, the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate.
- Chris Jones, who played for the Cards from 2013-15 and torched The Ville for 25 points last summer as a member of the Jackson TN Underdawgs. In May, Jones helped the London Lightning of Ontario win a third consecutive Basketball Super League title and received its Most Valuable Player award.
- Nick Mayo, a four-year starter at EKU from 2015-19 and a four-time member of the All-Ohio Valley Conference first team. The 6-9 forward played for The Ville last summer and won fans over with a thunderous, one-handed dunk worthy of a poster in the team’s first-round victory.
- Chinanu Onuaku, a 6-10 center who left U of L for the NBA after the 2015-16 season; during which he was named to the ACC’s All-Defensive team as a sophomore. Onuaku spent two years with the Houston Rockets and returns to The Ville after another stint with Santeros de Aguada in Puerto Rico.
- Omar Prewitt, a Mount Sterling native who played at William & Mary from 2013-17 and left as a top-five scorer in program history. The 6-7 wing had 13 points in 16 minutes during The Ville’s second-round win last summer.
- Peyton Siva, the point guard who led the Cards to a national title in 2013. This spring, Siva was named to new Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey’s staff as director of player development and alumni relations. A year ago, he amassed 19 points, 12 assists and six steals during TBT.
- Russ Smith, a star of the 2013 national championship team whose No. 2 is hanging in the KFC Yum! Center rafters. The former All-American has been playing in Italy and created limited-edition bottles of his Mr. & Mrs. Bourbon for TBT. He was The Ville’s top scorer in two of its three games last summer.
- Derrick Walker, a 6-9 forward who played for Tennessee (2017-19) and Nebraska (2019-23) and as a senior was a second-team All-Big Ten selection. For his collegiate career, Walker averaged 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds across 139 appearances. He has been playing professionally in Spain.
Reece Gaines, a U of L Athletics Hall of Famer who ranks fourth among the top scorers in program history, has replaced Mark Lieberman as The Ville’s head coach. Gaines returned to his alma mater in 2021 as Chris Mack’s director of player development and alumni relations, then shifted into a video operations role under Kenny Payne.
Members of Gaines’ staff include Luke Hancock, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 Final Four; Keith Oddo, who played for the Cards as a walk-on graduate transfer during the 2019-20 season; Mike Stone, an assistant at Transylvania University; and Terrence Commodore, whose coaching resume includes stints at EKU and Evansville.
Former Kentucky star Tyler Ulis is La Familia’s head coach.
Two more former Wildcats, Jon Hood and Sean Woods, are assistant coaches. Jazz Ferguson, a Louisville native who starred at Moore High, also serves as an assistant.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
Kentucky State Police seeks public vote for national cruiser contest
Published 3:12 pm Monday, July 13, 2026
FRANKFORT – Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky State Police are calling on Kentuckians to help power a statewide push in a national competition that celebrates the most eye-catching police cruisers in the country.
KSP has entered the 2026 Best Looking Cruiser Contest, held annually by the American Association of State Troopers (AAST). The contest consists of the public voting on their favorite cruiser photo, with the winning image earning the cover of the association’s 2027 calendar.
“The men and women of the Kentucky State Police represent the very best of public service,” Beshear said. “I encourage every Kentuckian to show their support by voting in this national contest.”
This year, KSP is highlighting the dedication and training required to be a trooper by featuring a 2024 Mustang GT cruiser outside of the KSP Academy in Frankfort, Ky. Beyond its striking design, the image also serves as a tribute to fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The Kentucky State Police have 39 troopers, officers and patrolmen who lost their lives in the line of duty. Among them was Trooper James W. McNeely who drowned during a rescue mission on the Kentucky River in 1972 and his body was never recovered.
In 2015, the KSP unveiled a nearly 10-foot-tall bronze statue, titled ‘The Trooper’, which is in front of the Academy Building. This statue was created in Trooper McNeely’s likeness and depicts a trooper walking towards the future to serve the citizens of Kentucky.
“This year’s contest photo symbolizes what it means to be a Kentucky State Police trooper, by showcasing the devotion, hard work, commitment and sacrifice that our troopers give to their local communities daily,” stated KSP Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. “We would be humbled and honored to have your vote and support on social media.”
KSP has placed in the top five in the past eight years, taking home back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022. While the Florida Highway Patrol won the competition last year, Kentucky is ready to take the top spot and needs your help to win it all.
Kentuckians are encouraged to vote for KSP’s entry now through Friday, July 10, at 12:00 p.m.
4th of July celebrations in Louisville begin early at Locust Grove
To celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, organizers set out to acknowledge as many cultures and nationalities at Historic Locust Grove
CYNTHIANA, KY ― Pam Abnee voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Susan Bramel, her friend of 50 years, did not.
As the nation commemorated its 250th birthday this month amid a hyperpartisan election season, these politically opposed women sat next to each other on a bench outside the Harrison County Courthouse in Cynthiana on the Fourth of July.
Over the course of that week, the small town in Kentucky’s north central Bluegrass region hosted historical walking tours, a community mural painting, a day of prayer and a chance to sign a facsimile of the Declaration of Independence, culminating in the county’s bicentennial time capsule unearthing on that special Saturday.
Abnee and Bramel made sure to find each other outside the courthouse. And they avoided talking about their biggest source of disagreement.
“I’m putting politics aside and I’m looking at the history of 250 years and all that we have gained in that 250 years,” Bramel, 69, said. “We agree on that.”
“That’s one thing we have in common,” Abnee, 73, added. “The history.”
Like most of rural Kentucky, Harrison County skews heavily conservative. More than 69% of the county voted Republican in the past three presidential elections, according to the Kentucky Board of Elections. But like other small county seats across the commonwealth, Cynthiana attracts enough liberals to create a palpable level of friction.
Every Monday, the Cynthiana Peaceful Resistance, a small progressive grassroots movement, gathers on the courthouse lawn to protest the Trump administration’s stance on abortion, immigration, war, LGBTQ+ rights, or the latest dust-up emerging from Washington, D.C.
“We’re very conservative here, so I would like to think the next generation is moving more toward the progressive side,” said Beth Tucker, 60, a retired teacher who runs a farm and sells mules. “I think there’s some hope with them. I think they’re going in that direction. The LGBTQ+ kids are feeling more at home here.”
Jaylou Lewis sees the division while driving through the city delivering DoorDash orders and turning onto streets with Trump and anti-Trump lawn signs crowded on the same block.
“It’s to the point today where it’s not even Democrat or Republican,” he said. “It’s either Trump or anti-Trump.”
Yet Lewis, who moved to Cynthiana in January with his wife, Shay Lewis, and their 2-year-old son, Rayshawn, recalled with amazement how people all over the city came together recently when a woman’s house burned down. Her daughter posted about the destruction on Facebook and people sent donations.
“Even though people are politically divided, as human beings, they united,” the 34-year-old said.
That unity was seen on July 4 as folks like Tucker, Bramel and Abnee flocked to the courthouse lawn to witness the capsule unearthing and celebrate the nation’s historic anniversary.
Surrounded by the thick July heat, Mayor Isaac Dailey delivered a speech before the digging commenced. The 28-year-old, who was born and raised in Cynthiana, implored residents to reflect on what future generations will recall of the legacy being carved out today.
“I hope they remember that we loved our neighbors, that we cared for one another in times of hardship, that we celebrated together in times of joy and that, despite our differences, we never forgot that community is built one relationship at a time,” he said.
Cynthiana natives Mary Ann Lee and John Allen Lee believe residents’ willingness to have conversations, share meals and open doors for each other, regardless of their political affiliations, is what sets their town apart from the animosity of larger cities.
“You don’t see the cancel culture here,” John, 85, said underneath the shade of a maple tree. “Just because they don’t see politics the same as I do, that doesn’t mean he isn’t my friend or she isn’t my friend.”
On the courthouse lawn, city officials, children, parents and seniors pushed shovels into the ground and — with the help of a John Deere backhoe — dug out the 75-gallon, flag-adorned, steel container that was buried on America’s 200th birthday.
They placed it on the ground, cracked it open and gingerly combed through church letters, newspapers, photos, a buckeye ring, a pair of Dr. Scholl’s sandals and a Playboy magazine.
Later that evening, residents migrated to Flat Run Veterans Park for fireworks and a performance by Kentucky native Sam L. Smith, a country singer who competed on “American Idol.”
But not all residents of Cynthiana felt the same sense of patriotism. Amid the squeals of children scampering through the splash pad, Zachary King recalled what it was like growing up gay in Cynthiana.
He experienced bullying at Harrison County High School, which led him to drop out during his sophomore year and complete his diploma online. Today, the 25-year-old is a personal care medical technician.
King didn’t attend the capsule unearthing because he was working, and he believes taxpayer money would be better spent expanding parking, housing and inclusive events for minorities sponsored by the city.
“I’m pretty sure we didn’t have nothing done in the month of June for LGBTQ people, other than some lights on the courthouse,” he said. “I think we’re bigger than the lights on the courthouse.”
Sitting beside him on a metal picnic table, Lewis, King’s brother-in-law, chimed in.
“There was no Juneteenth or nothing,” he said.
Lewis shares in many of the challenges faced by people throughout Cynthiana, Kentucky, and the country as a whole, including the mounting costs of gas, groceries and rent. But he also appreciates the moments of unity he sees in his community. Above all, he’s grateful to live somewhere where he can support his family, while giving his son a shot at a better future.
“Obviously, we’re still struggling as a country, but it’s still a great country, you know?” Lewis said. “I wouldn’t want to live nowhere else.”
This article is part of a collaboration between The Courier Journal and Boyd’s Station, a Kentucky non-profit that provides emerging artists and student journalists a rural place to hone their craft. Nikole Valiente received the 2026 Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship grant at Boyd’s Station.
FRANKLIN, Ky. (WSMV) – The Simpson County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a rental scam circulating TikTok.
“The Simpson County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of fraudulent rental listings being shared on TikTok using photos of legitimate properties in Franklin and Simpson County,” SCSO said.
The scammers advertise homes for rent and advise those interested to text or call the same phone number, even though, the properties have different owners or real estate agencies, SCSO said.
SCSO said at least some of the posts have been found by investigators to be illegitimate.
SCSO shared these tips to avoid falling victim to these scams:
- Never send a security deposit, application fee, or first month’s rent before verifying the listing.
- Always meet the property owner, landlord, or licensed property manager in person at the property before exchanging money.
- Verify that the person advertising the property has the legal authority to rent it.
- Be especially cautious if you are pressured to act quickly or asked to pay through cash apps, wire transfers, or other non-traditional payment methods.
“If you believe you have been the victim of a rental scam, please contact the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement agency immediately,” SCSO said.
Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.
-
World3 minutes agoIran-backed terror proxy Houthis threaten fresh attacks after Yemen airport strike
-
Politics9 minutes agoHegseth announces joint task force with DOJ to prosecute leaks to journalists ‘with the full force of the law’
-
Health15 minutes agoMicrowaved squishy toy explodes onto boy’s face and chest amid viral trend, causing horrific burns
-
Sports21 minutes agoFBI, Atlanta police target unauthorized drones flying near World Cup venues
-
Technology27 minutes agoWhy careful people still end up on data broker sites
-
Business33 minutes agoNetflix to add videos from digital publishers to its homepage
-
Entertainment39 minutes agoTom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky split after 18 years of marriage
-
Lifestyle45 minutes agoLike ‘rotten flesh’? Thousands rush to whiff double corpse flower at Huntington
