Kentucky basketball alumni thump Kansas to reach TBT 2026 title game

LEXINGTON — Kentucky and Kansas rank first and second on college basketball’s all-time wins list. With the alumni teams for UK (La Familia) and KU ( JHX Hoops) squaring off in a semifinal in the 2026 edition of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 29, one expected a tussle befitting their status as basketball royalty.

Instead, the former Wildcats made the ex-Jayhawks look like an overmatched foe from a mid-major conference.

La Familia ran circles around its opponent, cruising to a 78-65 victory at Memorial Coliseum.

With the win, La Familia advances to the TBT title game, where it will face either Davis Steel or The Mecca at 1 p.m. Sunday. Wednesday’s triumph also made La Familia the champions of the “Alumni Bracket” portion of this year’s TBT; Davis Steel, The Mecca and other teams are part of the “Non-Alumni Bracket.”

A familiar face led the way for the former Cats on Wednesday: Archie Goodwin scored a game-high 28 points.

UK great Willie Cauley-Stein scored 10 points — he went 5 for 5 from the field — and grabbed six rebounds.

Billy Preston had 15 points to pace the ex-Jayhawks in the lopsided loss.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball alumni thump Kansas to reach TBT 2026 title game