The blue-red rivalry goes year-round, even when there isn't any extra competition in the summer. Kentucky and Louisville fans have made an annual living out of bickering with each other online for years, but with The Basketball Tournament (TBT) setting up a three-game series between the two schools' alumni teams, the vitriol has been at an all-time high this July.
And now, with game one in the books, I'm happy to report that it's "same old, same old" for the birds down the street. La Familia, in spite of a seriously shorthanded roster, took The Ville to (admittedly tight-knit) task in front of a home crowd at Historic Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.
To a final tune of 72-68 (courtesy of a final slam from Darryl Morsell), the former Cats led most of the way until The Ville tightened things up toward the very end. Late scare aside, La Familia ultimately buried a Cardinals team that was expected by many to have the leg-up in this contest. While a host of Wildcats had a hand in this lesson being taught to The Ville, it was one usual suspect who led the way.
Andrew Harrison, even in the absence of his brother Aaron, looked like the best version of himself from back in the day. It was a throwback outing in the best way possible,
🏀 A beautiful after-timeout play leads to an easy bucket, and La Familia closes it out! 👏
— LaFamilia - Kentucky’s TBT Team (@LaFamiliaTBT) July 18, 2026
🚨 FINAL 🔵 La Familia: 72 🔴 The Ville: 68
La Familia defends home court! 😼 pic.twitter.com/X8zSvrBTcW
A Throwback Outing from Andrew Harrison
Harrison, who finished with 14 points on the day, played the part of floor general for a Wildcats team that saw guards Kerr Kriisa and Quade Green exit the roster, for different reasons. The point guard position seemed like a point of worry but, who were we kidding?
A Harrison twin in the driver's seat will do you right every time; the Cats' leading man would convert an and one heading into the half that put La Familia up 41-33 at the break. Shortly thereafter, Kentucky would stretch their lead out to 15 on the heels of a ridiculous behind-the-back pass from DeAndre Liggins to Kahlil Whitney for a wide open triple.
What a ridiculous sentence. This league is the best, and it's only just getting started for La Familia.
What's Next for La Familia
After their first-game dub, La Familia will travel to Louisville for a potentially close-out game two. Of course, if the Cats fall short in that one, they'll head back to Lexington to decide the opening series.
On top of already having the momentum in the series due to their opening victory, La Familia is expected return mainstay guard Archie Goodwin from here on out, after he missed game one for a personal matter. Late addition Marcus Lee will also join the team for the first time in the series' follow-up contest.
Not being at full strength and pulling off the first win was a huge tone-setter for the boys in blue. We'll keep you posted when game two tips on Monday - let's hope our former Cats can go ahead and put their bitter rivals away to advance to the next round.
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