Kentucky and Louisville alumni ready to throw down at The Basketball Tournament
By Ian Levy
![La Familia fans cheer on the team during their game against The Ville on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. during the quarter finals of The Basketball Tournament. La Familia fans cheer on the team during their game against The Ville on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky. during the quarter finals of The Basketball Tournament.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5460,h_3071,x_0,y_569/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/229/01j42bx70wbrq9my0jyn.jpg)
The rivalry between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville is one of the best in college sports and, as any alumni of either school can tell you, that rivalry doesn't end when school does.
The Basketball Tournament is an open summer basketball tournament that's been around since 2014. Over the years, many of the teams have increasingly become collections of alumni from different schools leaning into nostalgia and all that comes with it. All that being said, it shouldn't be any surprise that tempers were running hot in a matchup between "La Familia," a team made up of Kentucky alumni and "The Ville," a collection of former Louisville players.
La Familia got the win and things threatened to boil over almost immediately.
Things got a little intense after the game winner from La Familia pic.twitter.com/HCbcObXM3k
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) July 30, 2024
Kentucky and Louisville is one of college basketball's enduring rivalries
There were some hard shoves and sharp words but there didn't appear to be any punches thrown and, thanks to security, everyone was separated before things got out of hand.
We nearly had a full-on brawl on the Freedom Hall floor. pic.twitter.com/snMvcVRVqp
— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) July 30, 2024
After the game, Nate Sestina of "La Familia" accused Chinanu Onuaku of "The Ville" of spitting in his face.
Here's @NateSestina23 on what happened at the end of the game.... and @THEwillieCS15 on the atmosphere of the game tonight in Freedom Hall. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/ueTev5C9Fw
— Kent Spencer (@WHAS11Kent) July 30, 2024
Sestina was one of the stars for his team, putting up 22 points and 8 rebounds, hitting 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. He played four years at Bucknell before transferring to Kentucky for a fifth year of eligibility for the 2019-20 season. He currently plays for Turkish team Fenerbahçe.
"La Familia," which also includes former NBA players Eric Bledose, Daniel Orton, James Young and Willie Cauley-Stein, will now move on to the semifinals where they will take on "Carmen's Crew," a team made up primarily of Ohio State alumni including former NBA player Jared Sullinger. Teams made up of alumni from Penn State, Houston and Colorado are still alive on the other side of the bracket and vying for openings in the semifinals. The winning team takes home a $1 million prize.
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