The Ville stays alive at Freedom Hall: Former Louisville basketball players advance in TBT

Russ Smith stepped to the free-throw line Thursday night at Freedom Hall with another chance clinch victory for The Ville in The Basketball Tournament.

Except, where he's from in Brooklyn, New York, games don't end at the charity stripe. He told the Jackson TN Underdawgs players who were chirping in his ear as much.

"I don't like ending games on a foul call," said Smith, who led The Ville with 20 points in 24 minutes. "That's not really my thing. I wanted to end it on a field goal. That's a little bit more respectable, a little more honorable."

So he missed intentionally — saying afterwards, "I didn't want to make it look obvious" to the 4,788 fans in attendance. But when he stepped to the line one possession later, after the Underdawgs cut The Ville's lead to 78-74 with an Elam Ending target score of 79, decorum fell by the wayside.

"I told him, 'Please just make this one,'" head coach Mark Lieberman said.

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The former U of L men's basketball star did what he was told; and The Ville won the back-and-forth brawl, 79-74, to move four victories away from capturing the tournament’s $1 million grand prize.

This win did not come as easy for the ex-Cardinals as Tuesday night's 24-point beatdown of the Auburn-backed War Ready. After trailing by as many as eight points during the second quarter, The Ville clawed its way back to level pegging at halftime and proceeded to outscore the Underdawgs 36-31 down the stretch.

"This is nothing new to us," said Smith, who noted the "aura on the bench (was) completely calm.

"You just survive and advance."

The comeback quashed a villainous performance from the only former Louisville player on the court who didn't suit up for the home team, Chris Jones. The guard from Memphis, Tennessee, who played for the Cardinals from 2013-15, led all scorers with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting (3 for 6 from 3-point range) to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

U of L fans greeted Jones with a warm round of applause when his named was called during the Underdawgs' starting lineup introduction, but the adoration quickly gave way to a chorus of boos with each made basket and animated celebration that followed. After the game ended, Jones embraced former teammates such as Smith, who would have no doubt been in his corner had he not been standing between him and a share of $1 million.

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"Chris comes from a background that's very tough," Smith said, "and for a guy as good and as creative as he is, sometimes you can get overlooked, and it may feel like the world is against you. It's good that, as brothers, you make sure he feels the love that we have for him; and we know how good he is. We know how great of an individual player he is. We know how good of a teammate he is.

"For him to have a really good showing — obviously, I wanted to win, but it makes me happy and made, I think, all of us happy."

With the win, The Ville advances to a Round of 16 matchup at noon Saturday (ESPNU) against the regional’s top seed, Gutter Cats, which reached the quarterfinal round of last year’s tournament.

The TBT attendance record remains with Wichita State’s Charles Koch Arena, which on Tuesday hosted 7,202 fans. Although Thursday's crowd at Freedom Hall was 675 people smaller than The Ville's tournament debut, its spirit had players still believing they could surpass that high-water mark with the stakes only getting higher this weekend.

"Seeing the atmosphere back in here like it was back then and to be a part of it, it's an unreal experience," said Mount Sterling native Omar Prewitt, a William & Mary graduate who chipped in 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench. "My mom played (women's basketball) at Kentucky, but I got some Louisville in my heart."

Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville alumni basketball game: The Ville TBT advances to Saturday