Kentucky TBT team rolls: UK alumni advance in The Basketball Tournament 2024 at Rupp Arena

LEXINGTON — Rupp Arena might as well have been a time machine Friday night. Kentucky basketball greats of the past, back on the same floor in which they once suited up in the program’s iconic blue-and-white uniforms, showcased how much they still had left in their tanks.

Pick a play. Any play.

Aaron Harrison draining shots well beyond the 3-point line. His twin brother, Andrew Harrison , also contributing offensively. Willie Cauley-Stein blocking shots and altering others. Eric Bledsoe driving to the basket at will and finding open teammates when opportunities presented themselves.

There were highlights aplenty from that quartet — and others — for La Familia , the UK alumni team that cruised to an 82-56 victory over 305 Ballers in a round of 64 matchup in The Basketball Tournament .

"Such a good feeling coming out here," Andrew Harrison said. "They're screaming and happy to see you. I'm just excited. I'm happy to be here. Having fun playing basketball for the first time in a long time."

Guided by another former Wildcats star — Tyler Ulis is the head coach — the visitors from Florida had no answers for La Familia. 305 Ballers never led; after La Familia took a 3-0 lead, 305 Ballers knotted the score at 3-all. La Familia took control from there, extending the advantage to as many as 27 (76-49) after the Elam Ending was enacted in the fourth quarter, setting a target score of 82.

"It felt great getting to see these guys again," Ulis said. "We go our separate ways and don't see each other for three, four, five years. So to come back together and be able to get this done — my first win. I told them, 'Y'all gotta have my back on this one,' and they did. They left it all out there, and I'm happy."

Ironically, the only player on the La Familia roster who never played for Kentucky had the best outing Friday.

Kerem Kanter , who played at Green Bay and Xavier and is the younger brother of Enes Kanter (he signed with UK but never was allowed to play a game after the NCAA ruled him permanently ineligible), posted a double-double, finishing with game highs in points (21) and rebounds (12). Prior to the younger Kanter joining La Familia, Ulis said he watched plenty of film featuring the 6-foot-9 forward. His pedigree was evident.

"He's Enes Kanter's brother," Ulis said, "so he has UK blood."

But it was his body, not his blood, that La Familia put to good use Friday.

"I saw they had wiry guys who I felt like couldn't guard him. Our guards had it going, and later on, we tried to play through him, get to the line and just get easy buckets," Ulis said of Kanter, who was 6 of 9 from the field and 9 for 11 at the free-throw line.

The 26-point victory clinched La Familia’s spot in the round of 32, where it will face The Nawf , a team made up of players from the greater Atlanta area, which beat WoCo Showtime , 87-76, in another round of 64 matchup Friday. La Familia’s tussle with The Nawf will tip off at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday at Rupp.

Ulis and both the Harrison twins were thankful for all those in attendance Friday — 3,954 spectators, per TBT organizers. And all three expected an equally raucous crowd Sunday.

Yet as much as they focused on the present, and the future, they couldn't help but reflect upon a shared past. They were part of the program's legendary 2014-15 team , which won its first 38 games before falling to Wisconsin in the Final Four. Intrasquad battles were fierce. Playing time was at a premium.

Close relationships were a casualty of chasing perfection.

"When we were here, it was so much between us and 'Book' ( Devin Booker ), we were, like, competing for spots, competing for time," Ulis said. "We never had the time to really sit back and talk and just hang out, for real, because we all had a common goal."

It couldn't be more different now.

"I was telling Twany, 'I'm starting to get to know them better than I did when we were with each other for six months,'" Ulis said, referring to Twany Beckham , a former UK player who is one of La Familia's general managers. "So that's good that we're all grown men now. ... It's good to be here and spend time together."

Now the challenge is ensuring the good times keep rolling.

"We're gonna try to keep it going," Andrew Harrison said, "and just keep having fun."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky TBT team rolls: UK alumni advance in The Basketball Tournament 2024 at Rupp Arena