Syracuse Basketball: The path to a TBT title for Boeheim’s Army

Boeheim’s Army, the Syracuse basketball alumni team is primed for a TBT run. Here’s their path to a championship.

With The Basketball Tournament announcing its’ plan to play a 24 team bracket starting July 4, hoop fans everywhere are excited. But some fan bases, in particular, have more to be happy about, and that includes Syracuse basketball supporters.

Boeheim’s Army, the Syracuse basketball alumni team was selected as the third overall seed for the 2020 edition of TBT, a winner takes all tournament with a $1 million dollar prize. Now in its’ seventh year, the prize had been $2 million last year, but given the shortened bracket, some things had to change. Nonetheless, it will be a ‘Cuse team ready to take on the challenge for the big bucks.

This year’s Boeheim’s Army team consists of numerous former NBA first-round draft picks, including Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson, and Chris McCullough. It also features TBT veterans Brandon Triche and Eric Devendorf, along with other Syracuse basketball legends. Not featured in the graphic below is Andrew White III, the most recent addition to the squad.

Clearly this is a talented, balanced, and fearless team that should fare well. However, the competition is still tough. While it’s never good for the team to look ahead at their potential games (Boeheim’s Army, if you’re reading this, stop here), that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Blueprint for a Boeheim’s Army Title

14. Team Heartfire / 19. Men of Mackey (Purdue alumni team)

Part of the drawback of having a shortened bracket is that every single game will be that much more challenging. So don’t be fooled or discouraged if the Orange’s first-round game is closer than expected. It’s really just the fact that after the bye-week Boeheim’s Army received, it’s already the Round of 16.

Team Heartfire is probably one of the better low-post teams in TBT 2020. Coached by legendary college hoops coach Homer Drew, this team features 7-foot-1 former Baylor star Isaiah Austin, 6-foot-7 former Michigan State forward Branden Dawson, and 6-foot-11 former Baylor standout Quincy Miller. However, guard play is iffy, giving Syracuse an easy advantage in the backcourt. Even if the Heartfire bigs are tough to guard, Donte Greene and Chris McCullough are no slouches, more than capable countering in the post with good plays of their own.

Men of Mackey is the other team Boeheim’s Army could face in the ‘Sweet 16’. A Purdue basketball alumni team, they have a good balance between sharpshooting and defense. Standouts on their roster include Isaac Haas, who put up 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds during his senior season at Purdue, Jon Octeus, who averaged 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in his lone year as a Boilermaker, and Ryan Cline, a sharpshooter who connected on over 200 threes during his collegiate career. However, other than the 7-foot-3 Haas, Men of Mackey lacks another big man over 6-foot-8. Not having good frontcourt depth can be a problem, especially given Boeheim’s Army has Tyler Lydon, a stretch four who could shine if these teams match up.

Challenge ALS

Challenge ALS is the 6 seed in TBT. This most likely means they would take down Team Hines or Sideline Cancer in their Round of 16 matchup, although anything can happen. Challenge ALS is a veteran team that would set up a fun game to watch against another veteran team in Boeheim’s Army. Led by former Long Beach State and Philadelphia 76er Casper Ware, it is a team that has depth at all positions, especially on either wing. However, Boeheim’s Army has a bit more star power, leading me to believe that they should take this one. However, it’s never good to write off a squad like Challenge ALS, who has as much experience as anyone in TBT.

Overseas Elite / The Money Team

While there are certainly other options on this side of the bracket, the 2 seed Overseas Elite and 7 seed The Money Team have the most NBA talent on this side of the bracket. The big thing that stands out about Overseas Elite is former NBA all-star Joe Johnson. This alone makes them as dangerous as anyone in TBT. However, with other college stars and NBA. hoopers in Justin Burrell, Pooh Jeter, Deandre Kane, and DJ Kennedy, it’s a star-studded team that has won this tournament multiple times.

Meanwhile, The Money Team might have enough juice to take down both Overseas Elite and Boeheim’s Army. With Jimmer Fredette’s brother TJ on the roster, there is speculation he could be a late add to this squad. However, with names like Tony Wroten, Willie Reed, Austin Daye, and Andrew Goudelock also on the team, there won’t be a time without two or three really good scoring options on the floor. If Boeheim’s Army does face off against The Money Team, it would be a very interesting game. And if Glens Falls, New York native Jimmer Fredette does end up suiting up, it would add all the more intrigue to this potential game.

Past this round would be the championship game, which would be crazy to highlight just one or two teams from 12 options. However, with former Xavier standout JP Macura and Eberlin Drive, as well as a Marquette alumni team that features Travis Diener, Andrew Rowsey, and Darius Johnson-Odom, there is a ton of talent that would give Boeheim’s Army a run for their money.

If you ask me, I still like the former Syracuse basketball roster. July 4th can’t come soon enough.