Syracuse Basketball: Boeheim’s Army has deep roster, tough draw in TBT

We’re fewer than two weeks away from the first game for Boeheim’s Army, a collection of former Syracuse basketball players and other stars seeking to claim the 2023 The Basketball Tournament (“TBT”).

Boeheim’s Army, which won the 2021 TBT and the cool $1 million that came along with that victory, will again serve as a host team, as the Syracuse area will hold a TBT regional site from July 24 to July 28 from the Upstate Medical University Arena at the Oncenter War Memorial.

In this summer’s TBT, which features 64 teams spread across eight sites, Boeheim’s Army has received the No. 2 seed in the Syracuse regional. Per the TBT Web site, Boeheim’s Army will first suit up on Monday, July 24, beginning at 7 pm on ESPNU against No. 7 seed Team Gibson.

I took a look at the Team Gibson roster on the TBT Web site, and it’s an interesting mix of players who played college ball at schools such as Auburn, St. John’s, Michigan, Clemson, Iona and Marquette, among others.

Boeheim’s Army, with its former Syracuse basketball standouts, aims for another TBT crown.

Here’s the schedule for the other three opening-round games in the Syracuse regional:

No. 1 seed Blue Collar U versus No. 8 seed Big 5
Monday, July 24, at 2 pm on ESPN+

No. 3 seed The Nerd Team versus No. 6 seed Happy Valley Hoopers
Monday, July 24, at 4 pm on ESPN+

No. 4 seed The Rhody Way versus No. 5 seed The Commonwealth
Monday, July 24, at 9 pm on ESPNU

It’s important to note that the No. 1 seed in the Syracuse regional, Blue Collar U, won the TBT championship a summer ago. Blue Collar U is a Buffalo alumni team, and Boeheim’s Army could potentially have to knock off the defending champs to get out of this regional and reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 TBT.

A squad in the Syracuse regional that is quite familiar to Boeheim’s Army is the No. 3 seed The Nerd Team, which has a roster of former Ivy League players and others. In the 2022 TBT, at the Syracuse regional, No. 4 seed The Nerd Team upset No. 1 seed Boeheim’s Army, 81-74, in the round of 32.

No. 4 seed The Rhody Way is a University of Rhode Island alumni team. No. 5 seed The Commonwealth is a UMass alumni group. No. 6 seed Happy Valley Hoopers is, naturally, a Penn State alumni team, while No. 8 seed Big 5 includes a lot of players who competed for colleges and universities in the Philadelphia area.

Although this is a challenging path to the quarterfinals (and hopefully, beyond) for Boeheim’s Army, the squad named after legendary Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim boasts a really intriguing and talented roster.

The 2023 Boeheim’s Army line-up includes former Syracuse basketball players Tyus Battle (shooting guard), Andrew White III (wing), BJ Johnson (small forward), Paschal Chukwu (center), Chris McCullough (power forward), Jimmy Boeheim (forward) and Rakeem Christmas (power forward/center).

https://twitter.com/BoeheimsArmy/status/1678468099870425089

Non-SU alumni on Boeheim’s Army this summer are point guard Dwight Buycks Jr. (Marquette), wing DeAndre Kane (Marshall and Iowa State), point guard Matt Morgan (Cornell), point guard Grant Riller (College of Charleston) and small forward Jamil Wilson (Marquette and Oregon).

By the way, among active TBT teams, Boeheim’s Army is the event’s all-time leader in wins, with an overall record over the years of 22-7. I’m excited to watch our boys in Orange compete in the near future, hopefully grabbing numerous more conquests along the way.