KSR Today: The End of the Road for La Familia

The Basketball Tournament always delivers drama. Unfortunately, this year La Familia was on the wrong side of a dramatic finish.

La Familia hit a scoring lull in the second quarter and trailed by a dozen. The Kentucky alumni spent most of the game playing from behind, until the Cats forced a flurry of turnovers that turned into a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Willie Cauley-Stein had a couple of run-outs that turned into buckets at the rim. Unfortunately, his last one wasn’t the game-winner. Eberlein Drive trailed by five at the start of the Elam Ending, then put the heat on La Familia. Just when you thought it was out of reach, the former Cats stayed in the fight.

Needing just two points to win, they survived a Gabe York missed three and got into a run-out situation. Willie Cauley-Stein had a look at the rim to win it, but was fouled and couldn’t finish through the contact. He was injured on the play, even though one official argued “he ain’t hurt,” sending Archie Goodwin to the free throw line. He made the first, but missed the second. It left the door open for Eberlein Drive. They missed their initial game-winner before delivering the dagger and advancing with a 71-70 win.

La Familia brought Historic Memorial Coliseum to life with an improbable comeback, albeit one that fell to short of a win, ending the former Cats’ run in the TBT.

Kahlil Whitney was Incredible

The Dragon came back to Kentucky looking for redemption. Kahlil Whitney nearly saved the day for La Familia. When things got stale offensively, he was the one player who continued to attack the rim and get buckets. He also hit a crucial late three and scored the final bucket of the game for La Familia. Even though they didn’t get the win, Whitney finished with 18 points and got his time to shine in the Big Blue spotlight.

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Rebounding Cost La Familia

TBT basketball is gimmicky, but in order to succeed you cannot abandon basic basketball principles. To put it plainly, they gave Eberlein Drive way too many second-chance opportunities. Eberlein Drive had 17 offensive rebounds, many of which were in the Elam Ending that led the way to buckets that ended La Familia’s run in the TBT.

A Fleeting Moment

The TBT creates special moments. The single-elimination format naturally manufactures drama. Bringing back legends of the past invokes emotions from fans. Set during a desert during the sports calendar, it’s the perfect time to get caught up in the moment, one that is fleeting.

The magic we saw at Freedom Hall last year will never be recreated. The beloved players are aging out of The Basketball Tournament. It’s delightful to get wrapped up in the present, but one has to wonder how much longer this core group of La Familia players can withstand the grind. Hopefully, a new group of players is prepared to give Big Blue Nation another reason to cheer next July.

An Incredible TBT Game-Winner

Just because La Familia is out of the game doesn’t mean the TBT has stopped delivering big moments. A group of Wichita State alumni went toe-to-toe with former Houston Cougars, including J’Wan Roberts, who played in this year’s National Championship game. It was a close game that went back and forth all night. The teams were tied at 63 with a target score of 66 when Marcus Keene delivered a dagger in the form of a highly-contested three.

MARCUS ELAM KEENE JUST BECAME A LEGEND IN WICHITA!!!!

HE WINS IT FOR THE AFTERSHOCKS OMG WHAT A GAME😱

BEDLAM IN KOCH ARENA!!!! pic.twitter.com/WeFqkFloJG

— TBT (@thetournament) July 23, 2025

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Kentucky Raises Prices on Basketball Season Tickets

Big Blue Nation will cover some of the cost of doing business in the revenue-sharing era of college athletics. On Tuesday, UK Athletics shared that the cost of basketball season tickets will rise by an average of 3%. For the first time, every seat will require a K Fund donation, starting at $50-$100 per seat.

Kentucky needs an additional $20 million to pay student-athletes annually. That money has to come from somewhere. By slightly increasing season ticket prices, removing staff discounts, and charging students more, the school estimates they will add $20-$30 million to the annual budget.