Brown: The Ville vs La Familia at Freedom Hall was unifier Louisville basketball needed

For all the imperfections of The Ville’s 70-61 loss to La Familia in The Basketball Tournament quarterfinals, it was a perfect night for Louisville basketball .

The fact that The Ville, a team of mostly U of L alumni, had to watch a team of mostly Kentucky alumni advance to the semifinals in Philadelphia was secondary.

Monday night at Freedom Hall was what unity looks like.

The Cardinals can move on from the images of a mostly empty KFC Yum! Center that defined the past two seasons. They can move on from having a fractured fanbase the past season that was torn between rooting for one of its own in former coach Kenny Payne , and ready to move on from him.

Apathy for the program is no longer greater than support for it.

Not after homecoming in July.

"This is absolutely promising," said Russ Smith, who tied La Familia's Nate Sestina with a game-high of 22 points. "Absolutely promising."

Freedom Hall was at times as loud as it was the last time the Cards and Cats squared off here in 2009. It felt as hot too.

Former U of L players who played for Hall of Fame coaches Denny Crum and Rick Pitino as well as those from the younger generation came out to watch courtside, from Darrell Griffith to Jordan Nwora.

The game, with the perfect timing after live basketball recruiting ended and before football camp begins, allowed women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz and football coach Jeff Brohm to previously attend.

Former athletics director Vince Tyra had a courtside seat as did current AD Josh Heird.

Even Louie the Cardinal mascot dressed out for the event though it’s technically not affiliated with the university.

It was a game to see and be seen.

The record-setting attendance of 13,509 — which nearly doubled the previous TBT best of 7,202 in Wichita last year — would have been the second largest crowd at a U of L men’s basketball game this season. Only the crowd of 17,293 against Kentucky was greater.

Smith said it was important for current U of L players and recruits alike to, "see what the program is capable of."

"It's really amazing for the guys looking because it's like, 'Wow, it's possible,' because the last couple of years you see 2,000, 3,000 in there," Smith said.

TBT knew the game was big when it made the bracket. Chris Paul, a part-owner in the league, got on a plane from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to watch in person. TBT also brought in big-time college officials including Jeff Anderson, who has called nine Final Fours and officiated Connecticut’s win over Purdue in April’s national championship game.

Of course, the U of L-UK rivalry played a big part in the game drawing such interest. Quite a bit more was nostalgic.

The Cards’ program hasn’t had much to cheer for since before the pandemic when it last made an NCAA Tournament. And The Ville came stocked with some of the guys who did it best from the 2013 national championship team.

But none of whom were in championship shape.

Some of their play reflected a team hastily assembled that hadn’t practiced much nor played a lot together.

The Ville missed its first seven shot attempts to start the game. During one transition in the first half, Omar Prewitt squared up for an open shot, but the ball slipped out of his hands and sailed backward into the crowd.

There was even a glitch with the videoboard, which showed the broadcast from Fox Sports, as it was slightly delayed from the live action.

None of that will be remembered much.

What U of L fans could take out as they trickled out of Freedom Hall was the anticipation of a new season with Pat Kelsey as their new coach. And the hope that the fun and the feeling they experienced from cheering on The Ville in TBT will return to the Cards at the KFC Yum! Center.

"It just keeps everybody engaged and locked in," said Nwora, who is now with the Toronto Raptors. "Obviously, the past couple years have been a little down. I do think coach Kelsey is going to get on the right track here this year, but right now it just gives fans something to watch, to be excited for, especially in the offseason."

U of L fans won't have to wait long to watch the new crop of players. The Cards will play at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Bahamas.

The Kelsey era is underway now and thanks to The Ville, the Cards have already built some momentum.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com , follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his column s.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Brown: The Ville vs La Familia at Freedom Hall was unifier Louisville basketball needed