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The Basketball Tournament 2023: How to watch ex-Louisville … – Courier Journal
There will be no shortage of nostalgia when Louisville men’s basketball fans flock to Freedom Hall to watch a group of mostly ex-Cardinals compete in The Basketball Tournament, which has 64 teams vying for a $1 million grand prize.
Players suiting up for The Ville, such as Kyle Kuric and Peyton Siva, are hoping to feed off energy of days past. But they know a lot has changed since they left U of L to embark on their professional careers.
“Obviously, I don’t dunk as much,” said Kuric, 33, “but I can still shoot; and I’ve added a lot of different things to my game since college. Hopefully, I’ll be able to showcase that a little bit.”
Added Siva, 32, “I don’t think the style of play will replicate a lot of us from 10 years ago. There will be some glimpses, some flashes — every now and then, we might pick up (the pace). I think a lot of us have grown in our games instead of just being completely reckless, especially (me). (I’m not) running 1,000 miles per hour, head through the wall.”
While past and present collide, fans will also experience TBT’s approach to crunch time. In an effort to eliminate the monotony of intentional fouls and free throws that have come to dominate the end of college and NBA games, TBT employs a final target score format known as the Elam Ending.
Named after its creator, Ball State professor and Cincinnati Reds groundskeeper Nick Elam, the Elam Ending has the game clock turned off after the first dead ball with less than four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The target score is set by adding eight points to the leading team’s score at that time. For example, if The Ville is leading an opponent 70-68; the target score would be 78. The first team to reach that mark wins.
“You have to avoid fouls,” The Ville head coach Mark Lieberman said. “Once you get under four minutes, you might want to take a timeout. If you have the ball and you’re in the bonus, you might want to attack to get some extra points.”
The Ville begins TBT play at 7 p.m. Tuesday, against War Ready, a group of primarily former Auburn players that is 1-3 across two tournament appearances.
“They’re young,” said former U of L All-American guard Russ Smith, 32. “That could be a problem.”
A win would set up a matchup at 8 p.m. Thursday, against either No. 3 Eberlein Drive or the sixth-seeded Jackson TN Underdawgs, both of which feature players with ties to the commonwealth. Archie Goodwin, a former one-and-done guard at Kentucky, and ex-Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Justin Johnson and A.J. Slaughter play for Eberlein Drive; while the Underdawgs’ roster includes Louisville’s Chris Jones and Eastern Kentucky’s Tarius Johnson.
If The Ville is able to string together three victories in five days, Freedom Hall will host a tournament quarterfinal between the ex-Cards and the winner of the Lubbock Regional at 9 p.m. Monday, July 31, with a spot in the Final Four on Aug. 2 at Philadelphia’s Daskalakis Athletic Center up for grabs.
One loss, and the trip down memory lane is over.
‘This is my home’:Chane Behanan is rewriting the final chapter of his Louisville basketball journey with TBT
A vision for the future:Former U of L hoops assistant Mark Lieberman back on sidelines leading The Ville
Here’s everything else you need to know to follow the 2023 TBT Louisville Regional:
First- and second-round Louisville Regional games played on Tuesday and Thursday will air exclusively on ESPN+. You can subscribe for $9.99 per month — or $99.99 for per year — and access those games via WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.
The July 29 Round of 16 matchup will air on ESPNU (AT&T U-Verse 605; Spectrum 514; DirectTV 208; Dish 141); and you will find the July 31 tournament quarterfinal on ESPN2 (AT&T U-Verse 606; Spectrum 509; DirectTV 209; Dish 143). Qualified subscribers can livestream those games through WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.
Chris Vosters (play by play) and Seth Greenberg (analysis) will be on the call for all eight games on tap at Freedom Hall.
To listen to The Ville’s games on the radio, tune in to either WLCL 93.9-FM or WGTK 970-AM.
See the full regional schedule below:
(Note: All game times are Eastern)
Game 1: No. 1 Gutter Cats vs. No. 8 The Nawf, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 4 Shell Shock vs. No. 5 Gataverse, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 2 The Ville vs. No. 7 War Ready, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: No. 3 Eberlein Drive vs. No. 6 Jackson TN Underdawgs, 9 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, noon (ESPNU)
Game 8: Game 7 winner vs. Lubbock Regional winner, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.
