Syracuse Basketball: Boeheim’s Army must shake off rust, tough 2nd battle

It’s understandable that Boeheim’s Army, the collection of former Syracuse basketball players and other stars, struggled a bit in its first contest of The Basketball Tournament (“TBT”), the $1 million, winner-take-all annual summer event.

The guys who make up the Boeheim’s Army line-up haven’t practiced together all that much, and it’s not so easy to automatically gel as a cohesive unit from the get-go.

Despite a roster loaded with talent and a ton of optimistic buzz heading into its TBT debut this past Saturday afternoon in the Peoria, Ill., region, the No. 3 seed Boeheim’s Army could not get going offensively for much of its encounter with No. 14 seed Forces of Seoul.

Just like the Orange has been known to do on occasion over the years, though, Boeheim’s Army sputtered for three quarters then put on the jets in the final period of competition.

In the fourth quarter, Boeheim’s Army absolutely crushed Forces of Seoul, to the tune of a 22-3 outburst. That turned a seven-point deficit into a 12-point victory, fueled in part by Boeheim’s Army switching from a zone to a man-to-man defense.

On Monday night, Boeheim’s Army seeks to continue its 2021 TBT journey and a chance at the grand prize when it faces off with No. 11 seed Heartfire. This contest will take place beginning at 7 pm EST, with ESPN2 providing television coverage.

Boeheim’s Army, led by Syracuse basketball alum and others, has a challenging second test.

Versus Forces of Seoul, Boeheim’s Army didn’t shoot well. Not in the least, to the tune of 35.9 percent from the field, 34.6 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent from the charity stripe.

That will have to vastly improve if Boeheim’s Army wants to conquer Heartfire. What did encourage me is that Boeheim’s Army totally dominated Forces of Seoul on the glass, and obviously Boeheim’s Army was great on defense in the fourth quarter.

However, let’s not expect Boeheim’s Army to only allow three points to an opponent again in the TBT during a period of play. On offense, for much of its initial game, the Boeheim’s Army players didn’t seem much in rhythm.

Guys weren’t getting a lot of open looks, and when they did, they couldn’t connect on them. I think that will improve in round two for Boeheim’s Army, though.

Over the weekend, the next Boeheim’s Army foe, Heartfire, upset No. 6 seed The Overlooked, 78-65. Heartfire manhandled The Overlooked on the boards, 45-25.

Other areas where Heartfire excelled were in second-chance points, points in the paint, and points created off of turnovers. Heartfire also hit on a solid 48.4 percent from the field as well as 40.0 percent from downtown.

LaPhonso Ellis, who starred at Notre Dame and is an excellent college basketball analyst for ESPN, is Heartfire’s head coach. Two guards to monitor for this team are Jared Wilson-Frame, a Pittsburgh alum, and Tevin Mack, who suited up at Clemson.

In Heartfire’s win over The Overlooked, Mack tallied 16 points. Wilson-Frame collected 15 points. Both of them are significant threats from 3-point land, so the Boeheim’s Army perimeter defense has to remain laser-focused.