Former Cats hope current Kentucky team saw meaning of the Louisville rivalry at Freedom Hall

The bitter basketball rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville hasn’t been so bitter in recent years, solely because the matchup hasn’t been competitive. As talent and win totals have dipped for the Cardinals, so has the passion. It’s why beating up on little brother just hasn’t felt the same.

That’s what made La Familia’s battle against The Ville at Freedom Hall so interesting for both sides. Louisville fans were able to travel back in time to the peak of this rivalry and use that nostalgia to light the fire again. The players who have that city wrapped around their fingers — Russ Smith, Montrezl Harrell and Peyton Siva pulling at their heartstrings most — were back in red and white taking on the guys who took great joy in their misery over the years — Eric Bledsoe, Willie Cauley-Stein and Aaron and Andrew Harrison leading the charge there.

The crowd reflected that, shattering the TBT attendance record by 6,000+ with hardly an empty seat in the house, over 13,500 fans in the stands. Among them? The current Kentucky basketball team with coaches, players and managers all soaking in the alumni matchup from a Freedom Hall suite. And goodness, did they see a show.

From the ear-piercing chants to fan back-and-forths to heated on-court exchanges to the spit and ensuing brawl after the fact, it was two hours of this rivalry at its best. That was important for the new guys to see, especially the out-of-state players experiencing the hatred for the very first time.

If they didn’t know what this rivalry means to the state before, they certainly do now.

“I think Coach (Mark) Pope has done a good job so far since he’s been here of really pumping up Kentucky basketball again, really bringing up the whole state,” Nate Sestina told KSR shortly after catching a spit-wad from Chinanu Onuaku. “It is red versus blue, but really, it’s a Kentucky state. It’s UK. It’s one of those things that Coach Pope has done a good job of. Bringing them here, they can see what it means. It’s a Monday night at 9 PM and there are 13,000 people here. Like, this is unbelievable.”

We are here in Freedom Hall cheering on @LaFamiliaTBT. pic.twitter.com/ZPkVFLEf12

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 30, 2024

They’ve all experienced big, hostile crowds before, but during a summer exhibition game with very little on the line for fans beyond casual bragging rights? Yeah, nothing like that.

It stresses just how different this place really is, something you can’t find anywhere else in college basketball.

“For me, I saw this in Europe, especially this past year. This is like Serbian basketball. You have 13,000 people yelling and screaming the whole game,” Sestina added. “For these guys to see it, everybody’s always like, ‘Oh, Kentucky-Louisville.’ They got to see it firsthand from guys it matters to where there’s money on the line. It’s not just playing college basketball, there’s legitimate money on the line for these people.

“For some people, this is another opportunity to get your foot in the door and play professionally.”

Take Willie Cauley-Stein, for example. He’s experienced success at the highest of levels at Kentucky and in the NBA — All-American, Final Fours, lottery pick, you name it. The game has been good to him and he hopes to continue playing as a pro, potentially back in the league.

To put it simply, he doesn’t need La Familia or TBT. He chose to do it because that’s how much this rivalry means to him. Once the possibility of playing his enemies down I-64W was on the table, there wasn’t much to think about. Automatic yes.

“This game right here that we just played was the reason why I decided to come play,” Cauley-Stein told KSR. “When Twany (Beckham) said, ‘Yeah, we got a chance to play them in the little championship game in the region,’ I said, ‘Sign me up.’ This thing’s different. I knew it was going to sell out. I’m like, ‘Please don’t lose,’ because I’m trying to play that game. Thank God they didn’t.”

Did it live up to the hype? If you were in that building late Monday evening, you know that answer.

“We got to play the game and there is no other feeling like that,” Cauley-Stein said. “It took 10 years to get that feeling back, and I’m gonna ride it for the next couple of days, for sure.”