Kentucky men’s basketball won’t have to leave the country this summer to get some quality runs in. In fact, the Wildcats won’t have to go far at all.

Ahead of next week’s The Basketball Tournament, in which Rupp Arena will host one of eight regional sites for the annual winner-takes-all $1 million grand prize event, Mark Pope‘s debut squad will go head-to-head against a talented group of former ‘Cats. La Familia, Kentucky’s TBT alumni team coached by Tyler Ulis, will take on the 2024-25 Kentucky team as part of a closed practice set for next week.

During a media session on Tuesday, Ulis confirmed the practice is locked in, but could not offer much additional detail. However, he did say he’s eager to see how both his La Familia squad (comprised of former players such as the Harrison Twins, Willie Cauley-Stein, Eric Bledsoe, Kellan Grady, and many more) and the current Wildcats will look against each other.

It should be an excellent opportunity for both groups to learn more about who they are as teams while also allowing the past and the present eras to connect on a deeper level.

“This is the same thing we always do when Kentucky guys come back during the summer; get up and down with guys, helps connect former players with current players,” Ulis told reporters. “But these guys are excited to play against these guys and I’m excited just to see these guys play, try to get prepared for these games we have coming.”