By: Josh Goldfine

On Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, one team will finally claim its long-awaited TBT prize money.

For Boeheim’s Army, it has been seven years in the making to reach the TBT title game. The Syracuse University alumni squad went outside the Orange family this summer by bringing in players with both experience (Tyrese Rice) and championships (D.J. Kennedy and DeAndre Kane) in this tournament. 

Rice has willed Boeheim’s Army to the championship game. The former Boston College guard, whose running layup downed the defending champion Golden Eagles in the Round of 8, scored all 13 points during an Elam Ending comeback win over Florida TNT in the semi-finals. Rice is averaging a team-high 15.6 points per game. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TYRESE RICE GETS THE STEAL AND LAYUP!!!!!!!!<br><br>HE DOES IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!<a href="https://twitter.com/BoeheimsArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BoeheimsArmy</a> IS GOING TO THE TBT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/Jtt9O57r1A">pic.twitter.com/Jtt9O57r1A</a></p>&mdash; TBT (@thetournament) <a href="https://twitter.com/thetournament/status/1421891527664574464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Chris McCullough has been a steady force down low, averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Kane plays his usual stingy defense when it matters most. Keifer Sykes, Tyler Lydon and C.J. Fair have all contributed. Kennedy, a four-time TBT champ, can rebound and defend.

Team 23, competing in TBT for the sixth time, last appeared in the title game in 2015 and fell to Kennedy’s Overseas Elite squad. 

Coming off upset wins over both Herd That and Best Virginia in front of their respective home fans in Charleston, WV and an upset win over top-seeded Sideline Cancer in the Round of 8, Team 23 used a strong fourth quarter to eliminate upstart Blue Collar U in the semi-finals. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marcus Hall hits his third Elam Ender this summer!!!<br><br>Team 23 is going to the TBT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!!!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/6phvNIroNM">pic.twitter.com/6phvNIroNM</a></p>&mdash; TBT (@thetournament) <a href="https://twitter.com/thetournament/status/1421930643185823747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This team is loaded with offensive weapons. Marcus Hall, who took Team Colorado to the 2016 title game, leads four players averaging in double figures. Raphiael Putney, Walt Lemon and Eric Griffin can all score. Lemon pushes the pace and leads the team in assists.