By: Josh Goldfine
Saturday, July 17
3 Herd That vs. 14 Team DRC, 12p EDT, ESPN
It’s America’s Team vs. a perennial tough out in TBT. Herd That riveted fans last summer with a stunning, 18-point comeback win over The Money Team. Guard Jon Elmore, Conference USA’s all-time leading scorer, and power forward Jacorey Williams, TBT’s third leading scorer last summer, give the Marshall University alumni squad a chance to once again advance deep in the tournament. NFL All-Pro cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has his talented squad back and looking for another long tourney run after reaching the Super 16 in 2018 and the Regional Final in 2019. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick and Mike Morrison give this veteran TBT group a chance to pull off the upset.
2 Best Virginia vs. 15 WoCo Showtime, 2p EDT, ESPN
The last time that fans saw Best Virginia on the court was back in 2019, when the West Virginia alumni squad fell to perennial TBT power Overseas Elite. This time, playing in front of a packed crowd of Mountaineer fans, the talented hoopsters hope to ride the hometown support to a deep tournament run. John Flowers and Kevin Jones, who both played on West Virginia’s 2010 Final Four team, will be helped by guards Tarik Phillip and Jaysean Paige. WoCo Showtime is back in the tournament and will once again rely on the long-range shooting of Fletcher Magee, the NCAA’s all-time leader in three-pointers.
6 Team 23 vs. 11 Georgia Kingz, 5p EDT, ESPN2
This matchup will feature a perennial TBT entrant against a tournament newcomer. Team 23, which did not appear in last summer’s tournament, has struggled to recapture the glory from its 2015 run to the title game and will rely on a revamped roster that includes ex-NBA players Walt Lemon, Jr. and Daniel Ochefu. Marcus Hall, who guided the Colorado alumni squad to the 2016 title game, can score in bunches. The Georgia Kingz will rely on a balanced scoring load from players from around the Peach State in an attempt to pull off the upset.
7 D2 vs. 10 Bleed Virginia, 7p EDT, ESPN3
D2 looks to make a name for itself in its third TBT appearance while Bleed Virginia makes its TBT debut. Made up of former Division II college players, D2 reached the Regional Semifinals back in 2019 and will look to make another run this summer. Bleed Virginia will rely on JeQuan Lewis (VCU), ShawnDre’ Jones (Richmond) and Ed Polite (Radford) in its first run through TBT.
Sunday, July 18
5 War Ready vs. 12 Bucketneers, 12p EDT, ESPN
Both of these squads will be looking for their first TBT win. Known last year as War Tampa, the since-rebranded Auburn alumni squad will count on the sharp-shooting Bryce Brown, who ranks second all-time in SEC history in three-pointers. The Bucketneers, an East Tennessee State alumni squad, feature a talented roster that made an NCAA appearance back in 2017.
4 Armored Athlete vs. 13 HBCUnited, 2p EDT, ESPN2
This matchup will feature one of TBT’s staple teams against a squad making its TBT debut. Armored Athlete makes its seventh TBT appearance and has proven to be a tough out every time. With 13 TBT wins, this squad always competes and will rely on TBT veterans Dave Dudzinski and John Roberson as well as Coty Clarke, who finished tied for seventh in scoring last summer. HBCUnited, featuring players from historically black colleges, will count on production from MEAC all-time leading scorer Charles Williams as well as former Morgan State teammates Phil Carr and Tiwain Kendley.
1 Sideline Cancer vs. 16 Founding Fathers, 5p EDT, ESPN3
It’s the Cinderella-turned-favorite versus a team which would love to be this year’s Cinderella. Last year, as the 22nd-seeded team, Sideline Cancer made a stunning run to the title game, falling just short against the Golden Eagles. Sideline Cancer, playing to raise money and awareness for pancreatic cancer, is the only team to have appeared in each TBT since its founding back in 2014. Marcus Keene dominated last summer, leading TBT in scoring. Mo Creek, whose three-pointer downed Overseas Elite in last summer’s semi-finals, also returns. Eric Thompson, last summer’s leading rebounder, will be back to clear the boards. The Founding Fathers are making their TBT debut and will look to pull off the upset bid. The James Madison alumni squad will look to recapture the glory of a 2013 run to the NCAA tournament.
8 PrimeTime Players vs. 9 Fort Wayne Champs, 7p EDT, ESPN3
This is a matchup of two teams that are very familiar with TBT. The PrimeTime Players are led by Trevor Booker and Christian Keeling and will make their seventh appearance in the summer tournament, looking to rebound from last summer’s first-round disappointment in which they squandered an 18-point lead in a loss to Team CP3. Playing in TBT for the fourth time, the Fort Wayne Champs will rely on TBT veteran Steph Hicks to carry the scoring load.
