La Familia vs. The Ville destroys TBT attendance record

The biggest game in The Basketball Tournament history brought together the event’s biggest crowd.

During Monday night’s quarterfinal matchup between La Familia and The Ville, a total of 13,506 fans entered Freedom Hall to watch the Kentucky and Louisville alumni teams battle it out for a spot in the semifinals. This number shattered the previous TBT attendance record, which was just 7,202 last year in Wichita.

It’s a mostly red-covered crowd, but the Big Blue Nation showed up. When it comes to Kentucky vs. Louisville, it’s just different…

LOUISVILLE AND KENTUCKY FANS JUST OBLITERATED TBT’S ATTENDANCE RECORD!!!!!

13,506 FANS!

A HISTORIC NIGHT AT FREEDOM HALL IN LOUISVILLE, KY!!!!!!!

Thank you👏 👏 👏 pic.twitter.com/jqilND4b69

— TBT (@thetournament) July 30, 2024

No one is likely happier about this outcome than the folks at TBT. They set up a perfect path for both La Familia and The Ville to make it out of their respective regions, potentially pitting these two rival programs against each other in the Elite 8. Both sides won all three of their games to provide us with some must-watch July basketball.

The start of this one couldn’t have gone any better either. La Familia threw the first punch and took a commanding lead early. Willie Cauley-Stein made all three of his triples, too. There was clearly no love lost between these former Wildcats and Cardinals, with words being exchanged all throughout the first half. Andrew Harrison and Chris Jones even got hit with double technicals after a dust-up near midcourt.

The Ville made its run to close the first half though. At the halftime break, La Familia took a 30-27 lead into the locker room. Eric Bledsoe added eight points, Nate Sestina added seven, and Kerem Kanter with six.