Syracuse Basketball: Boeheim’s Army seeded right where it should reside
By Neil Adler
Boeheim’s Army, a crew of former Syracuse basketball stars, earned the No. 3 seed in The Basketball Tournament.
The 24-team bracket of this summer’s The Basketball Tournament (“TBT”) got released on Tuesday, and to no one’s surprise, Boeheim’s Army – a stacked roster of former Syracuse basketball players – received an invite to the $1 million, winner-take-all event.
Since tournament organizers had previously said that more than 120 squads had applied to compete in the 2020 TBT, there existed at least a sliver of uncertainty about the status of Boeheim’s Army in the field.
However, given that Boeheim’s Army has made deep runs in this tourney in the past, I felt pretty comfortable that our beloved boys in Orange would hear their name called on Selection Tuesday (I just made that up now).
In fact, a few days ago, I penned a column in which I prognosticated that Boeheim’s Army should land a top-three seed, along with Carmen’s Crew, the 2019 TBT champion, and four-time tournament victor Overseas Elite.
When it comes to these sorts of fun projections or rampant speculation, I’m often wrong. This time, though, I wasn’t.
The TBT bracket slots Carmen’s Crew, consisting of Ohio State alumni, as the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 seed Overseas Elite, and Boeheim’s Army as the No. 3 seed.
This top-three order of seeds is so logical. You have last year’s champion first, then the most dominant group in the history of the event, and then Boeheim’s Army, which undeniably has assembled its best-ever roster for the 2020 TBT, including four guys who got selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Boeheim’s Army, with its many former Syracuse basketball stars, is one of the top seeds in The Basketball Tournament.
As the No. 3 seed, Boeheim’s Army collected a first-round bye, and it will take on the winner of No. 14 seed Heartfire versus No. 19 seed Men of Mackey.
Men of Mackey, a Purdue-based unit, and Heartfire, which features some former Baylor players, will square off on July 5. Whichever team advances will meet up with Boeheim’s Army on July 7. Tourney officials will provide game times and TV information later on, although ESPN’s networks are airing every encounter.
All of the TBT contests will occur at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, with the title tilt transpiring on July 14. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the tournament’s seventh installment is operating under quarantine and will represent the first live televised basketball played in the United States since mid-March.
Just to refresh your memory, the Boeheim’s Army line-up is small forward Andrew White III, power forward Donte Greene, wing Malachi Richardson, center Chris McCullough, power forward Tyler Lydon, combo guard Eric Devendorf, combo guard Brandon Triche, point guard John Gillon, and forward Demetris Nichols.
Wow. This TBT is the one where, hopefully, Boeheim’s Army will amount to the last squad standing. Much like Syracuse basketball some 17 years ago – when the Orange was also a No. 3 seed.