Boeheim's Army Syracuse regional includes UConn, Vermont alumni teams - fun things

Boeheim's Army, that collection of former Syracuse basketball standouts and other hoopers, is hoping to cut down the nets this summer at the $1 million, winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament ("TBT").

The team, which cut down the nets four years ago in 2021, may have to go through former Big East Conference rival UConn, so to speak, to win the TBT for a second time.

Based on social media posts, it looks like the full 64-squad bracket of the 2025 TBT should get revealed soon, but we can dive into the Syracuse regional in this column.

Syracuse and Boeheim's Army are hosting one of eight regional sites this summer, with the winner of each regional advancing to the quarterfinal round, followed by the semifinals and championship game.

According to the TBT Web site, besides Boeheim's Army, the seven other teams in this regional are Brown Ballers, Green Mountain Men, Herkimer Originals, Layne’s Hope, Rise and Grind, Stars of Storrs and We Are D3.

By the way, the Syracuse regional will run from July 19 to July 23 at the SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College. If you want to know more about the Boeheim's Army roster, you can check out my other recent article on the squad.

Let's take a closer look at the Syracuse regional that Boeheim's Army is hosting.

Brown Ballers
TBT record: 1-3
From the TBT Web site: "Two years ago, they made headlines with a shocking upset, showcasing their potential to compete at the highest level. This year, they aim to build on that momentum and make an even deeper run in the tournament."

Green Mountain Men
TBT record: 0-0
This is a new team to the tournament, and its roster is mainly Vermont alumni. As you'll recall, Vermont made a huge splash in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, when the No. 13 seed Catamounts knocked off the No. 4 seed Orange. Yuck. I look forward to Boeheim's Army crushing the Green Mountain Men.

Herkimer Originals
TBT record: 0-1
So the Herkimer Originals are a minor league basketball team that suits up in the American Basketball Association ("ABA"). That's pretty cool.

Layne’s Hope
TBT record: 0-0
This I love. Layne’s Hope is playing on behalf of a young man named Layne, who has Prader–Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. This team's roster includes former players at Buffalo, Villanova, Clemson, Texas Tech and Le Moyne, among others.

Rise and Grind
TBT record: 0-2
This team is a collection of former Division II, Division III and NAIA standouts, some of whom have been playing professionally overseas.

Stars of Storrs
TBT record: 1-1
This group includes numerous former Connecticut players, such as point guard Ryan Boatright, who won a national championship with the Huskies in 2014, as well as former Seton Hall star Isaiah Whitehead and former players from Murray State, Clemson, Hofstra and Saint Joseph's.

We Are D3
TBT record: 1-5
We Are D3 has a roster of former Division III standouts, and it notched its first TBT victory last summer.

Boeheim's Army, I should add, has an all-time TBT record of 25-8, which I believe is the most career triumphs of any team listed on the tournanent's Web site as playing in 2025.