Former UK basketball players lead La Familia to another TBT win. ‘It’s been phenomenal.’

If this was their final game in Rupp Arena, the Wildcats went out on a high note.

La Familia — a team of former UK basketball players — dominated Herd That in a 95-66 victory on Tuesday night to advance to the TBT quarterfinals and keep their hopes of a $1 million grand prize alive.

It was the third win in a row for the former Wildcats, who swept the Lexington Regional of The Basketball Tournament — better known as the TBT — and are now just three victories away from claiming the $1 million that will be split among the members of the winning team next month.

Eric Bledsoe scored a game-high 24 points for La Familia, adding five rebounds and three assists and dazzling the Rupp crowd with an array of dribble moves and drives to the basket.

“Man, it’s been phenomenal,” Bledsoe said of his return to Rupp, where a few thousand fans have shown up over the past three games to see the former Cats. “The atmosphere has been amazing. I’m extremely humbled and excited that Kentucky asked me to play. … I’m extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity.”

Kerem Kanter — the younger brother of ex-Cat Enes Freedom Kanter — added 20 points and eight rebounds, the only member of the La Familia roster that didn’t play for UK in college. Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison and Nate Sestina scored 11 points each.

The group will next face whoever comes out of the Louisville Regional, with The Ville — a team of former U of L players — taking on Team DRC on Wednesday night. The winner faces La Familia in the TBT quarterfinals.

If The Ville wins, then La Familia will play the ex-Cards at Freedom Hall on Monday night. If The Ville loses to Team DRC, then La Familia will host that squad in Rupp Arena on Monday night for a shot to advance to the TBT semifinals in Philadelphia.

Tuesday’s victory was La Familia’s biggest of the tournament, and it came against what was supposed to be its best competition to date.

Herd That — a roster featuring several former Marshall University players — advanced to the TBT semifinals last year and actually had the 1 seed in the Lexington Regional, but the visiting squad was no match for the second-seeded team of ex-Wildcats.

Sestina, who’s been a ball of energy and enthusiasm for all three games, made a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes to help La Familia get out to an early nine-point advantage. James Young hit a deep 3-pointer to give the former Cats a double-digit lead late in the second quarter.

La Familia put the game away in the first few minutes of the third quarter, and the Harrison twins nailed back-to-back 3-pointers a little more than halfway into that period to put the Kentucky guys up by 20 points.

Tyler Ulis improved to 3-0 in his first stint as a head coach after spending the past two seasons as a student assistant on John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky. Ulis is planning to join Calipari at Arkansas after he finishes his college degree later this year.

Ulis said the familiarity of this roster — he played alongside the Harrisons and Willie Cauley-Stein in college and Bledsoe in the NBA, noting that other players on the team were also teammates in the past — helped lead to the winning start to the TBT.

“I’m not surprised, because a lot of us played together,” Ulis said. “… So we’re pretty familiar with each other. But now guys are starting to get their legs under them. Everybody’s starting to get in shape, and the outcome has shown.”

The game Tuesday night was a mix of the past, present and future of UK basketball.

New head coach Mark Pope was among those in attendance, along with five-star recruit Jasper Johnson — a major UK target and central Kentucky native — as well as former Wildcats point guard Rajon Rondo.

Pope walked onto the Rupp court with his family about 10 minutes before tip-off and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He joined the FS1 broadcast during the second quarter and began his segment by praising the La Familia head coach.

“How fun is it to watch Tyler Ulis — a Kentucky great — who is now early in his college coaching career, get out here and coach his team? He’s doing an unbelievable job,” Pope said. “He’s a big-time young coach, He’s going to have incredible success.”

After the game, Ulis thanked Pope for his enthusiasm in the TBT venture over the past few weeks. The UK head coach was unable to attend the first two games in Rupp due to his travels related to the live recruiting period, but Ulis said he’s been supportive of La Familia’s efforts behind the scenes.

The former Kentucky players also practiced with the current team twice last week, an experience that the new Cats have talked about with excitement in recent days. Several players on the 2024-25 roster were sitting behind one of the Rupp Arena baskets Tuesday night.

“It has been fun to have these guys around campus for the last two weeks,” Pope said. “… The connections. This Kentucky family — this brotherhood of players, past and current — is really special, and it’s been on full display here the past couple of weeks.”

The UK basketball players taking part in the TBT in Rupp. And what they’re doing now.

Together again after nearly 10 years, Harrison twins are eager for UK basketball return

Darius Miller is back in Lexington. And looking at a new chapter in his basketball life.

‘There’s no place like that.’ Cauley-Stein savors UK return in The Basketball Tournament.

Tyler Ulis is following John Calipari to Arkansas. He has unfinished business at UK first.

After a slow start, Kentucky’s alumni team keeps the homecoming going with another TBT win

Former UK basketball stars win in their TBT return to Rupp. ‘Such a good feeling.’