— By Bill Cornwell
The challenges only increase from here on out for Herd That, which faced quite a test Sunday afternoon and needed an Elam Ending rally to advance past War Ready, 63-59.
Now comes a date with La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team welcoming the Lexington Regional’s top seed for a 9 p.m. regional final Tuesday inside Rupp Arena. The game will be shown nationally on FS2.
Herd That avoided elimination Sunday by scoring 14 unanswered points to end the contest in a four-point victory against the Auburn alumni team. War Ready led 55-49 entering the Elam Ending, which starts at the first stoppage in play with 4 or fewer minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and adds eight points to the leading team’s total as the target winning score.
War Ready eventually built its lead to 59-49, before Herd That played its best basketball at the perfect time.
The game-closing spurt was punctuated by a game-winning three-pointer from former Iowa State guard Tyrus McGee. McGee had eight of the 14 points during the decisive run to close the contest.
La Familia had its way later Sunday in an 81-64 win against The Nawf, a team from Gwinnett County, Georgia.
The Kentucky alumni squad was led by former Xavier post player Kerem Kanter, who scored 26 points. Former NBA point guard Eric Bledsoe added 16 in the victory.
Four La Familia players average double-figure scoring through two TBT games, with Kanter’s 23.5 scoring average a team best. Bledsoe (14.5 ppg), Nate Sestina (13.5 ppg) and Andrew Harrison (11 ppg) are the others averaging double figures.
Kanter is the top rebounder with 21 in two games.
Inside defense is provided by another former Wildcat and NBA player in Willie Cauley-Stein, who has 10 blocks and 13 rebounds in TBT play.
Former Middle Tennessee and Arkansas forward JaCorey Williams leads Herd That in scoring with an average of 15. Former Marshall guard and team captain Jon Elmore is second in scoring at nine points per game.
Williams is also the top rebounder for Herd That with 11 over two games. Former Marshall and Iowa State guard DeAndre Kane, along with former North Carolina player JP Tokoto, are averaging 2.5 steals.
Herd That is 10-4 all time in TBT and advanced to the semifinals of the event a year ago.
The winner of the Lexington Regional will face the winner of the Louisville Regional, which will be determined Wednesday following Monday night’s Round-of-32 results. That Round-of-8 matchup would be played either July 29 or July 30 at a location to be determined.
The semifinals are set for August 2, while the championship is two days later. Both will be played at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.