Boeheim’s Army named 3rd overall seed in The Basketball Tournament

We have sports, folks! The Basketball Tournament (TBT) returns for its seventh year of summer hoops, and Syracuse Orange men’s basketball alumni team Boeheim’s Army is ready for their sixth attempt at the $2 million prize. The modified 24-team format is set to tip off on July 4, and we’ve got a bracket to dissect.

Photo via Marquette Basketball/@MarquetteMBB on Twitter

First of all, Boeheim’s Army was awarded the 3rd overall seed in the tournament. For their efforts, the men in Orange get a first round bye and will start in the round of 16. The two teams ranked higher than Boeheim’s Army are Carmen’s Crew, the reigning TBT champions, and Overseas Elite, the four-time TBT champions.

With BA already into the round of 16, their first opponent will be the winner of the game between 14-seed Heartfire and 19-seed Men of Mackey. Heartfire is led by Hall of Fame coach Homer Drew and some Baylor alumni including Isaiah Austin and Quincy Miller. Men of Mackey are Purdue alumni, named after their home stadium Mackey Arena.

The first opportunity that Boeheim’s Army will have at facing a former opponent is in the semifinals, where they could face either two-seed Overseas Elite or 15-seed Armored Athlete. Overseas Elite defeated BA in the 2017 semifinals en route to their third TBT title. Boeheim’s Army prevailed over Armored Athlete in the 2018 round of 16.

Two other past opponents feature on the other side of the bracket, meaning Boeheim’s Army can’t face those teams until the finals. Four-seed Golden Eagles took down BA in the 2018 quarterfinals while 12-seed Brotherly Love upset Boeheim’s Army at Onondaga Community College last season in the regional finals.

Boeheim’s Army have already announced nine players on their roster for the 2020 TBT. Those are Eric Devendorf, Brandon Triche, John Gillon, Demetris Nichols, Malachi Richardson, Tyler Lydon, Donte Greene, Chris McCullogh, and Andrew White. It’s still unknown if more additions will be made before the event begins.

TBT announced last week that the modified 24-team tournament would be held at Nationwide Arena, the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets (in Columbus, Ohio). That means Boeheim’s Army won’t host fans at Onondaga Community College like last year. Fans who bought tickets in advance will be refunded in full.

TBT also announced that all participants will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in Columbus and regularly throughout the event. Should any player test positive at any point, both he and his team will be removed from the tournament. TBT announced during the bracket reveal show that they have two teams on standby in the event that a roster needs to be removed due to a positive test.

What do you think of Boeheim’s Army road in TBT? Is this the year they win the money? Leave your comments down below.