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Boeheim’s Army faced off against Team Gibson in the opening round of The Basketball Tournament — a winner-take-all style tournament with the champions taking home a $1 million prize. In 2021 Boeheim’s Army defeated Team 23 69-66, winning the TBT championship after Keifer Sykes hit the game-winning shot. In 2022, BA failed to defend their title falling to the Nerd Team in the second round.

Similar to last season, Boeheim’s Army breezed through the first round. Dwight Buycks ended the game with a drive inside for the Elam Ending. Led by 20 points from Andrew White and 19 from Grant Riller, BA blew out Team Gibson 99-83.

Here are some observations from Boeheim’s Army’s first-round win:

Up and down first

Boeheim’s Army failed to come out of the gates with a sense of urgency. Team Gibson threw the first punch, jumping out to a 10-2 start. BA looked out of sorts on offense missing shots from deep, as well as a couple of offense fouls and live-ball turnovers.

Antoine Mason got things started with a 3-ball for Team Gibson followed by an offensive foul. Chris McCullough scored BA’s only bucket in the first five minutes of the game to cut into the lead, but Team Gibson kept going. Darious Hall maneuvered his way inside for two, before an Elgin Cook three put Team Gibson up 8-2. Kelechi Ajukwa got into the passing lane for a breakaway layup, followed by a deep three from Mason. All of a sudden Boeheim’s Army fell behind 13-2.

It was the wakeup call they needed. Boeheim’s Army followed up the sluggish start with a 6-0 run. Everything picked up, mainly due to a spark in their defense. Boeheim’s Army newcomer and TBT veteran DeAndre Kane started to get into the game with a pull-up 3. As the first quarter winded down, McCullough drove baseline, floating home a left-handed layup to tie the game.

Defense to Offense

When the shots weren’t falling, Boeheim’s Army got back into the game with their defense. Justin Robinson came off the bench and provided energy for BA, fronting Mason in the post. Despite the height disadvantage, Robinson forced an errant pass which led to a turnover. The giveaway was one of six Team Gibson gave away in the first quarter. Boeheim’s Army was able to take advantage, generating easy points.

In the opening stages of the game, BA struggled in the halfcourt, but a couple of breakaway buckets opened things up. A minute later, Riller got over a screen as BA blitzed the ball, forcing a misplaced pass. Riller led a three-on-one fast break, getting all the way to the basket before dishing a wraparound pass to White who finished underneath the basket, putting BA up three. The defense continued to be the catalyst behind Boeheim’s Army’s run.

After trailing by 10 early, BA outscored Team Gibson 46-21 for the rest of the half, including allowing just 13 points in the second quarter alone.

The defense persisted in the second half with BA never letting Team Gibson cut into the lead. Boeheim’s Army kept their opponents at arm’s length, something that hasn’t been common in TBT so far. The No. 1 seed in the Syracuse region and defending TBT champions, Blue Collar U, came back from down double digits to win in their opening-round game.

Riller Arrives

In his TBT debut, Riller had a strong performance. Currently a free agent, Riller has a chance to showcase his skills with Boeheim’s Army while trying to get back into the NBA. Although he’s not a Syracuse alum, Riller is set to play a big role with Tyus Battle out and Matt Morgan unable to play.

Much like the rest of his teammates, Riller started slow. The guard missed his first couple of shots in the paint, but persisted throughout the first quarter. Riller used a screen from Rakeem Christmas, getting his defender on his back before bursting to the rim for a layup, putting BA up 27-22 early in the second quarter. After misfiring on his first two shots, Riller only missed one of his next six attempts.

On BA’s next offensive possession, Riller once again used a screen from his big man to open up a driving lane for his second straight bucket. Riller didn’t attempt a 3-pointer until the third quarter, doing most of his damage inside. Riller had eight points in the first half and finished with 19.

Riller’s play of the night was when he fired a pass ahead to BJ Johnson, but it got deflected along the sideline. What looked to be a turnover ended up being a wide-open dunk as Riller immediately realized his mistake. The first to react to the loose ball, Riller sprinted ahead and grabbed it before slamming it down.

As Riller got more comfortable in the halfcourt, so did the rest of his team. When he wasn’t leading the break, Riller was initiating the offense.

Paint Dominance

Boeheim’s Army didn’t get much going from 3-point range. Outside of White, BA only hit three threes. A lack of outside shooting haunted BA in their loss to the Nerd Team last year, but it wasn’t an issue on Monday. Boeheim’s Army was dominant in the paint on both ends, outscoring Team Gibson 58-36.

Paschal Chukwu did a good job of protecting the rim while Christmas came alive in the second half on the offensive end. With BA already leading by double digits, Christmas took over for a stretch during the third quarter. Christmas backed down Devin Funchess, pounding the ball a couple of times, before rising up with his left hand and finishing through contact for an and-one.

Kane found Christmas deep in the paint on the next possession, once again finishing through contact for his second straight and-one. After another bucket in the paint, Christmas received the ball for the fourth straight possession, this time he found White, who cut straight through the paint for an easy bucket.

As much as Christmas was dominant down low, Boeheim’s Army’s guards did an excellent job of getting into the paint. Whether it was Riller, Kane or Johnson, it felt like BA lived in the paint all game long. With Team Gibson pressing, Johnson caught the ball at the three-point line, taking two dribbles before rising up and unleashing a posterizing dunk. BA finished the game with a Buycks drive inside, getting above the target score of 98.

Published on July 24, 2023 at 9:19 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22