La Familia calls on Big Blue Nation for TBT Home Court Advantage

Don’t get me wrong, La Familia beating The Ville inside Freedom Hall to send the former Louisville Cardinals home was one of the highlights of the summer. Nothing gave me joy the way Nate Sestina did torturing that terrible fanbase, or when Daniel Orton emerged as the Dan Issel of Lance Wares after Chinanu “Hawk Tuah” Onuaku spat a loogie like the sore loser he is, ready to whip his ass like an overhand free throw.

Daniel Orton genuinely had that man’s life flashing before his eyes dog you can see the moment he realized it’s in God’s hands now 😭😭😭😭 #BBN pic.twitter.com/1K3GGI6HIh

— Buddy 🏀😼 (@BigBlueBud) July 30, 2024

The best of the UK vs. UofL rivalry was on full display that night, and this summer, a rematch is on the table — assuming both sides take care of business leading up to that point, as hoped.

Here’s the deal, though. Going to Louisville for that fight between good and evil just can’t happen again. Being in that building made my skin crawl, the smell of Crown Royal trash bag shots getting to my head and taking away from the experience. We already know we’ll have to go to the Chum Bucket for Mark Pope vs. Pat Kelsey Part Two — assuming Kelsey’s career as a jockey this weekend at the Derby doesn’t take off — so one trip to the 502 is plenty. Big Blue Nation can be the reason we only have to do it once, and it comes down to The Basketball Tournament’s Home Court Advantage.

To put it simply, La Familia needs your help with ticket sales. That will be the difference.

Pre-sale tickets will be available in Lexington starting Friday before opening to the general public on May 6 at 10 AM ET. It will be a race to 4K tickets among all 10 possible host teams with the top eight being ranked based on how quickly they reached that mark. The regional host sites are:

• Lexington – La Familia
• Louisville – The Ville
• Indianapolis – Assembly Ball (IU) and All Good Dawgs (Butler)
• Kansas City – JHX Hoops (KU) and Purple Reign (K State)
• Wichita – AfterShocks
• Virginia – Embrace The Pace 
• West Virginia – Best Virginia
• Syracuse – Boeheim’s Army

If multiple regions sell 4K tickets via pre-sale, the tiebreaker will go to the fanbase with the most tickets sold by May 6 at 11:59 PM ET. So it’s not just about getting to 4K — we know BBN will take care of business there — it’s also about doing it the fastest to not just keep games in Lexington, but more importantly, keep La Familia out of Louisville should (when) they make it out of the regional.

Should La Familia get to 4K the fastest, they will come in at No. 1 overall in the Home Court Advantage rankings, ensuring Lexington will not only host the regional, but also the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals no matter what. If The Ville sells 4K tickets faster than La Familia, they would have the right to host the highly anticipated rematch in the quarterfinals back in Louisville — again. And we can’t be having that.

Those 10 teams and eight regions are the only ones allowed to host a quarterfinal, semifinal or the championship, so if The Ville were to lose their regional and La Familia won ours, the quarterfinal will be in Lexington no matter what (and vice versa). But we can avoid any location drama by selling out 4K right away and winning games in the comfort of our own home inside Historic Memorial Coliseum.

It’s a two-way street, though, and La Familia gets it. BBN deserves some fan favorites to cheer on after delivering one heck of a debut roster last time around. You can’t come out swinging in the first summer and then not pack a punch the next.

That’s why they’ve already announced Willie Cauley-Stein — the 2024 TBT Defensive Player of the Year — as a returning piece to anchor the roster, plus the new additions of Doron Lamb and DeAndre Liggins in 2025. There will be two other big-time pieces returning from last year’s squad that are absolutely guaranteed to get fans fired up, too, with that announcement coming next week. Five down, plenty more to go as La Familia builds a championship-contending roster this summer.

Last year’s group made it to the TBT semifinals in Philadelphia. This one will be capable of winning the whole thing — but they need your help, creating the ultimate Home Court Advantage from start to finish. All it takes is a pre-sale ticket victory starting on Friday.

Interested in joining the fun? Of course you are! It will be the talk of the summer as we wait for Kentucky basketball season to roll around, the perfect appetizer for the entree later in the year. To sign up for pre-sale ticket updates, all you have to do is click this link and help La Familia get to 4K the fastest — with the most total tickets sold by 11:59 PM ET on 5/6 getting to host the whole thing.

Let’s make sure it’s Lexington. We’ll be there, will you?