Boeheim’s Army will face Team Gibson to open 2023 TBT

Boeheim’s Army - a roster made up of mostly past Syracuse Orange basketball alumni - will officially return to the court on July 24 to begin this year’s TBT. The full bracket for the 2023 TBT was released. on Wednesday

The team enters the Syracuse regional part of the tournament as the two-seed, just one spot behind the reigning TBT defending champions with Buffalo’s Blue Collar U. Boeheim’s Army will make its official debut versus Team Gibson on July 24 at 7 p.m. EST, with the game also available for stream on ESPNU.

There are two familiar names on Team Gibson’s roster in Vander Blue (Marquette) and Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall). The team, which was organized by NBA player Taj Gibson, is making their TBT debut this season.

Boeheim’s Army, which won the TBT championship in 2021 before falling out early in 2022, looks to secure its second title in three years by taking care of business in the Syracuse regional.

The TBT Syracuse regional runs from July 24 to July 28 at the Upstate Medical University War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse.

If Boeheim’s Army wins, it will take on the winner of the 4-seed versus 5-seed matchup between The Rhody Way (Rhode Island) and The Commonwealth (UMass). That game is scheduled for Wednesday, July 26 at 8 pm EST and will be available for stream on ESPN+. The other teams competing in the Syracuse regional include the Happy Volley Hoopers (Penn State), The Nerd Team and Big 5.

Syracuse is one of seven regional host sites for this year’s TBT alongside Wichita, Dayton, West Virginia, Xavier, Louisville and Lubbock. If Boeheim’s Army can make it through the regional portion of the TBT bracket, which includes three games, it will take on the winner of the West Virginia regional.

Looking at the bigger picture, Boeheim’s Army should have its way in the First Round but may find tougher competition taking on one of Rhode Island or UMass in the next round, then potentially facing the 2022 TBT champions in the third round. Playing in Syracuse will be critical for the first few games, giving the team a nice home-court advantage. Boeheim’s Army also retooled its roster to bring in more experienced TBT players, even if they weren’t necessarily Syracuse alumni.

Here is the full team that will be under the leadership of head coach Ryan Blackwell this summer:

Guards: Tyus Battle, DeAndre Kane, Dwight Buycks, Grant Riller, Matt Morgan

Forwards: Chris McCullough, Jimmy Boeheim, Andrew White III, BJ Johnson, Jamil Wilson

Centers: Rakeem Christmas, Paschal Chukwu

Boeheim’s Army will have just a little over a month to get ready for some redemption in the TBT. Let the countdown to tip-off begin.