Ville Exits TBT After Stunning Second-Round Loss

A Disappointing Exit for The Ville in TBT

Two years ago, the Basketball Tournament reignited Louisville fans' love affair with Freedom Hall. This year, the venue saw a different kind of energy as the team of mostly former Cardinals, known as The Ville, aimed to make a deep run in the 2025 event. With advanced ticket sales contributing to home-court advantage, expectations were high.

However, the storied venue at the Fairgrounds felt more bleak than ever on Sunday night when top-seeded The Ville fell to fourth-seeded Sideline Cancer, 73-63, marking its earliest exit yet. The loss left the team five wins short of the $1 million grand prize.

“It was, obviously, disappointing in there,” said coach Luke Hancock, describing the postgame locker room scene. “All these guys, whether they played a ton this whole tournament or down the stretch or whatever, they're all playing for The Ville; and they all care about each other.”

Some players might be upset with Hancock for not giving them more minutes, but he emphasized that he had poured everything into the tournament for several months. From organizing the team to recruiting players and building relationships, his commitment was clear. He hoped that the bond with the players would remain strong despite the loss.

The Ville had a "fantastic" shootaround Sunday morning, just hours after defeating Boston vs. Cancer in the first round. Montrezl Harrell brought the crowd to life by arriving straight from a private jet after playing in the BIG3 league. Earl Clark was unavailable due to his own commitments, but there were still plenty of reinforcements.

“I thought these guys were really going to be ready to go,” Hancock said. Unfortunately, the good vibes didn’t last long. The Ville spent the entire game playing from behind and trailed by as many as 25 points, 57-32, with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter.

Sideline Cancer shot 60% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc in the first half. Meanwhile, The Ville struggled offensively, missing their first basket until the 4:13 mark of the first quarter. They entered halftime at 8 for 24 (33.3%) from the field, 2 for 14 (14.3%) from three-point range, and 8 for 15 (53.3%) from the free-throw line. Seven turnovers led to 13 points for the opposition.

“Things were really good in that first game. You're spreading playing time around, and the bench feels good,” Hancock said. “But it is very tough to have that much talent across the board; because everybody wants to play 36 minutes.”

With a 21-point halftime deficit, Hancock addressed his players before the third quarter. His message was simple: “This crowd's going to turn up when we make our run.” And it happened. U of L fans finally brought the noise when The Ville increased the intensity of its press defense, scoring 10 unanswered points to pull within 15, 57-42, with 43.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The crowd grew louder as The Ville cut the lead to single digits, 60-51, entering the final seven minutes of the fourth.

Before the Elam Ending kicked in, The Ville had a 32-18 swing. But it wasn’t enough.

“Those guys have played together for a long time,” Hancock said of Sideline Cancer. “They weren't scared of us; they weren't scared of the environment and played with a chip on their shoulder, for sure.”

The closest The Ville got to tying the game was four points, 67-63, after the clock was turned off for the Elam Ending. Jermaine Marrow had a chance to redeem himself after missing a wide-open three-pointer that would have given Sideline Cancer the victory in last summer’s TBT. This time, he hit a triple out of a 30-second timeout to pull his team within three points of the target score. Then, he banked in the walk-off winner in transition after David Johnson committed a turnover on the other end.

“Bank's always open on Sunday,” said Marrow, who led Sideline Cancer with 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting (6 for 7 from three). “... This was one of my top-five biggest shots I've ever hit.”

Harrell was again the top scorer for The Ville with 21 points, while Johnson and Malik Williams added 11 and 12, respectively. The ex-Cards went 5 for 27 (18.5%) from three and missed 10 of their 28 free-throw attempts. Despite the effort, the loss marked a painful end to what had been a promising tournament run.