TBT doubles down on Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry with new format, bigger prize

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) has become one of Big Blue Nation’s favorite summer traditions. Big changes are on the way for this year’s event, but the Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry will remain at the forefront, with even more money on the line.

On Monday, TBT unveiled a new 16-team format and winner-take-all $2 million prize. The field will be divided into eight alumni teams and eight non-alumni teams competing on two separate sides of the bracket. TBT’s first round will now be a best-of-three series, headlined by La Familia (Kentucky alumni) vs. The Ville (Louisville alumni), before returning to the single-elimination format for future rounds. Just five wins are needed to capture TBT’s $2 million prize.

La Familia will be led by Willie Cauley-Stein, Archie Goodwin, and Reid Travis, with former Kentucky guard Jon Hood serving as head coach. Twany Beckham is back as general manager. Russ Smith, Edgar Sosa, and Malik Williams are the featured players on The Ville, with former Louisville guard Michael Baffour leading The Ville’s staff. La Familia and The Ville have faced off once before in TBT 2024, resulting in TBT’s highest most attended game in its 12-year history, with 13,506 people in Freedom Hall. La Familia won that matchup 70-61.

“We’ve faced The Ville before and came out on top, and we plan to do it again,” said Willie Cauley-Stein. “La Familia has what it takes to win this series. We’re prepared and motivated to show that we’re the better team. Louisville should know that we won’t let them get in the way of us winning $2 million.”

“It is an honor to be in a position to lead from the front office and add some new faces as we rebuild The Ville,” said Russ Smith. “The reception has been great and we can’t wait to be on the court and highlight the pro talent that was developed at the University of Louisville!

“We love that we get to play against our brothers—or rather, our arch-nemeses from Kentucky! Those matchups are always heated, and we are out for retribution. Bring it on.”

“These two fan bases are incredible,” said TBT CEO Jon Mugar. “Based on the 13,506 that came out for this matchup in 2024, we expect this to be one of the most raucous sporting events of the summer. Especially now that there are two million dollars at stake.”

Last year, La Familia reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Eberlein Drive, which went on to the championship game. The Ville lost in the second round to Sideline Cancer.

As part of the best-of-three series, both teams will have a chance to host at least one home game. The first game of the series will take place at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington on Saturday, July 18, at 12 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on FOX. Game two will be played at Freedom Hall in Louisville on Monday, July 20, at 7 p.m. ET, and will be televised live on FS1.

The host location for game three will be determined by which host site sells the most tickets in 24 hours. Game three (if necessary) will be played on Wednesday, July 22, at 6 p.m. ET on FS1. Tickets are available now at TBTHoops.com.

The winner of the Kentucky-Louisville series will face the winner of the Syracuse-Seton Hall series in a single-game second round on Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. ET on FOX. The other Alumni Bracket matchups include Kansas-Kansas State and Wichita State-New Mexico. The Alumni Bracket championship will be played on Wednesday, July 29, at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.

TBT’s eight non-alumni teams will compete in the Las Vegas Bracket, a single-location event to be played entirely at the M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas from July 22-30. Team slots in the Las Vegas Bracket are available to the public at a variable entry fee ranging from $125,000-250,000.

The winner of the Las Vegas Bracket will play the winner of the Alumni Bracket on Sunday, Aug. 2, on FOX at the Alumni Bracket champion’s home court.

TBT’s new format for 2026 comes after a record-setting tournament in 2025. Over 500,000 viewers tuned into FOX as the AfterShocks (Wichita State) defeated Eberlein Drive in a raucous championship held on Wichita State’s campus. TBT 2025 also set a championship game attendance record, as 9,029 fans packed Koch Arena. Despite students not being in session, it was Wichita State’s biggest crowd for a basketball game in over three years.

TBT drew 85,395 fans in attendance last summer, surpassing its own record in 2024. Since 2022, TBT has grown its annual attendance by over 136%.

For more information on the Kentucky-Louisville series or TBT’s new format, visit TBTHoops.com.

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