The $1M TBT Championship Game between Team HeartFIRE & Bleed Green will tip-off at 7p EDT on ESPN!

By: Josh Goldfine

TBT will crown a new champion on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Will the third time be the charm for Heartfire, or will Bleed Green put the finishing touch on a magical second trip through TBT?

Heartfire lost heartbreaking title games to Overseas Elite (in 2015, when Heartfire was known as Team 23) and Boeheim’s Army (2021). This year’s squad punched its ticket to the title game by way of Raphiael Putney’s banked-in three-pointer which eliminated Herd That in the semi-finals. This is one of the deepest and longest teams in the field. Six players listed are listed at 6’7” or taller.

Tevin Mack (12.2 ppg) and Marcus Hall (11 ppg), TBT’s all-time leading scorer, pace a balanced offensive attack. Putney can protect the rim, and Craig Sword does a little bit of everything. 

Bleed Green improved to 7-1 all-time in TBT when Jordan Stevens knocked down a step-back three-pointer to hit the target score and eliminate Friday Beers in the semi-finals. Stevens (17.8 ppg) and Brandon Jefferson (19.6 ppg) form arguably the best two-guard tandem in the tournament. Bleed Green had only five turnovers in the semi-final win, none by Jefferson or Stevens.

Thomas Bell anchors the middle for the University of North Texas alumni squad, averaging a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game.