La Familia, on the heels of their most recent win over the Syracuse alumni, put a little boost into the Big Blue Nation with an absolute shellacking of JHX Hoops (Kansas) to secure a spot in Sunday's TBT Finale. The Cats are officially contending for the $2 million prize next Sunday.
I'll be honest: If you just watched the first quarter and had plans, you probably thought this was going to be a stinker. And if you are a Kansas fan, you were right. Both teams struggled from the floor in the first, trading bricks and scoring only a combined 25 points. And that is with a clutch three from Archie Goodwin to push La Familia's lead to five, 15-10.
The second quarter was very similar, though both teams found a little bit of range at different times. Kentucky's team launched out of the gate and pushed the lead up to double digits in front of a wild crowd at Historic Memorial Coliseum. Speaking of the crowd, even TBT folks noticed how much of an impact y'all had on the game. Take a look:
It’s been QUITE THE NIGHT in Lexington!@KentuckyMBB x @LaFamiliaTBT fans are making a HUGE impact!
— TBT (@thetournament) July 30, 2026
💙👏 pic.twitter.com/GqapmYRaJb
But JHX made a little run to end the second and pulled to within seven, 37-30. Halftime came, and the game was never close from there on out.
A Third Quarter Beatdown Ensured WCS Has One More Game
Prior to the start of TBT, Willie Cauley-Stein announced that this would be his last run in the tournament. The former Cat has played a lot of basketball in Lexington, and it's sad to see that coming to an end. But it won't be happening tonight. During the third quarter, La Familia absolutely torched JHX, holding them to just seven total points.
Meanwhile, La Familia finally found their range and put up 21.
That momentum carried over into the last frame of the night for both teams. The Elam Ending in effect in the fourth quarter, Kentucky led 69-53. If you're new to TBT (The Basketball Tournament), the Elam Ending happens during the first dead ball of the under-four-minute timeout. Eight points are added to the leading team's score, and that becomes the Elam Ending.
The first team to hit that score wins. TBT officials believe it makes for a more natural ending, allowing the losing team to play it out to see if they can come back without turning things into a foul fest.
Toward the end, Kentucky was the leading team at 69, meaning the Elam Ending score was set to 77. And the Cats ran it up to 76-61 before delivering the final blow. Fittingly, it came from Archie Goodwin who got some heat for not showing up for the first few games. All that is in the rearview though as La Familia advances to play the winner of the non-alumni bracket, either The Mecca or Davis Steel who play tomorrow night at 7:00 PM on FS1.
Add us as a preferred source on Google