La Familia takes down 305 Ballers 82-56 in opening round of TBT

One win down, five more to go.

On Friday night in Rupp Arena, La Familia — Kentucky’s alumni team — took down the 305 Ballers by a final score of 82-56 in the opening round of The Basketball Tournament. Former Kentucky walk-on Brennan Canada hit the game-winning free throw in the Elam Ending to secure the win and move La Familia onto the second round.

Kerem Kanter (the younger brother of Enes Kanter) led the way for the former ‘Cats with 21 points and 12 rebounds while Eric Bledsoe and Aaron Harrison chipped in 13 points each. Nate Sestina added 12 points of his own while Andrew Harrison rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11.

La Familia will return to Rupp Arena on Sunday to face The Nawf in the second round of TBT’s Lexington Regional. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. EST on FOX.

And Brennan Canada wins it on a free throw for La Familia! They beat 305 Ballers 82-56.

The former Wildcats will play in the second round on Sunday at 2 pm against The Nawf. pic.twitter.com/h4aWSR56kn

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) July 20, 2024

The Big Blue Nation was excellent on Friday night, showering the La Familia team with cheers and chants all night long. The current Kentucky players even came out to show support. With so many former ‘Cats of the last 15 years in action, nostalgia was thick throughout the building. Canada capping off the win was a perfect ending.

La Familia wound up running away with the victory after the first quarter. The 305 Ballers were a talented squad, but couldn’t match up with the overall skill of the Kentucky guys. Kellan Grady and Willie Cauley-Stein also got in on the action with six and five points, respectively. La Familia shot 43.9 percent from the field and 31.1 percent from deep.

With Friday night’s win, La Familia is one step closer to earning the winner-takes-all, $1 million grand prize that goes to the tournament champion.