*UPDATE (1:10 p.m. ET): Willie Cauley-Stein is ACTIVE but Archie Goodwin has been downgraded to UNACTIVE per TBT Stats & Info. A reason has not been revealed publicly.

There’s nothing like some evening basketball in the middle of the summer, and that’s exactly what we’re getting later tonight with La Familia’s matchup with The Ville. Tipoff for game two is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET inside of Freedom Hall, with the Kentucky alumni looking to take care of business on the road.

Doing so, will be difficult. We all saw what playing in enemy territory can do to a team – Louisville experienced it on Saturday and went down by as much as 15 points in the third quarter. Given the away atmosphere, the desperation from the Cardinals and unfortunately, some injury news, we’re in for an interesting one.

Game two’s official injury report has Marcus Lee, who missed game one with the team, listed as OUT for tonight’s matchup. He was originally believed to make his debut on Monday, but it seems it may be the next series where Lee will make an appearance. Willie Cauley-Stein, after tweaking his ankle in La Familia’s first game, is listed as questionable, making Kentucky’s size a thing to question.

Don’t worry though Big Blue Nation, because KY Insider brings good news with the bad. Archie Goodwin, who was a major part of the team’s scoring last summer, will be making his debut on July 20. Sources confirmed that he was attending a wedding on Saturday and couldn’t make the season opener.

The Ville will also be without two key players who missed game one, Ray Spalding and Angel Nunez. The full injury report can be seen below.

La Familia

• Archie Goodwin – AVAILABLE
• Willie Cauley-Stein – QUESTIONABLE
• Marcus Lee – OUT

The Ville

• Ray Spalding – OUT
• Angel Nunez – OUT

‘Tis the season of summer fun for all across Big Blue Nation, because Kentucky’s alumni team, La Familia, wants to rewrite the narrative and prove themselves in the TBT.

The first test came in the most challenging way with The Ville, a team assembled of former Louisville Cardinals, the Wildcats’ in-state rivals. In the best-of-three series, game one took place inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum on July 18, where fans who were craving a little basketball decked themselves out in white gear to cheer on their former Cats.

Through the first quarter, it was seemingly anyone’s ball game to start, with both teams tied 12-12 with 2:31 remaining. Andrew Harrison led the way with five points.

Louisville would proceed to go on a 9-5 run to end the quarter, boosting their lead to four.

A shift was then felt in the atmosphere of Historic Memorial Coliseum, and the former Wildcats reciprocated the energy accordingly. Led by Sean McNeil and Harrison shooting from deep, La Familia would double The Ville in the second quarter, outgunning them 24-12.

Harrison’s last-second and-one would send the fans in a frenzy, giving the Wildcats all the momentum heading into halftime, leading 41-33.

Halfway through the third quarter, with what seemed like a blowout win for the Kentucky alumni, turned quickly into an instant classic. The Ville would have a couple chances to hit the target score after climbing all the way back, but Darryl Morsell’s heroics kept La Familia alive.

Morsell would finish the night with 17 points, claiming the game-winning dunk and sending Louisville back to their city with a loss.

Up next, La Familia and The Ville will face off on Monday, July 20 inside of Freedom Hall for game two of the series. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX.

Last offseason, Kentucky was considered a top-10 team and a true title contender, but ended the season as one of the most disappointing teams in the country, winning just one game in the NCAA Tournament.

This offseason, Kentucky is barely cracking the top 15 in most preseason rankings and will look to climb the rankings throughout the season rather than fall.

Still 120+ days out from the start of the regular season, ESPN and CBS Sports have updated their “way-too-early” rankings following Dusty May’s jump from Michigan to the NBA, more player additions for teams, and some early-season-ending injuries.

The rankings remain fairly static, however, with the Wildcats holding steady in ESPN’s rankings while moving ahead of St. John’s in CBS Sports’ rankings following Donnie Freeman’s Achilles injury.

ESPN

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (no change)

Impact newcomer: Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic was the best transfer in the portal, after a season in which he established himself as the best shooter in college basketball. The 6-8 forward withdrew from the NBA draft on the night of the deadline, committing to coach Mark Pope’s team a few days later after also being pursued by Louisville and Arizona. He’s immediately an All-America contender and the most dangerous player on the Wildcats’ roster, after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.7% from 3 last season.

Projected starting lineup

Zoom Diallo (15.7 PPG at Washington)
Alex Wilkins (17.8 PPG at Furman)
Milan Momcilovic (16.9 PPG at Iowa State)
Ousmane N’Diaye (9.8 PPG for Cremona in Serie A)
Malachi Moreno (7.8 PPG)

CBS Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

Previous ranking: 17 (⬆️1)

This ranking is based on the Wildcats returning one of the top six scorers — specifically Malachi Moreno — from a team that finished 22-14 and advanced to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. That core will be joined by a recruiting class highlighted by Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, Washington transfers Zoom Diallo and Franck Kepnang, Washington State transfer Jerone Morton, James Madison transfer Justin McBride, Providence transfer Alex Wilkins, four-star prospect Mason Williams and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye.