Boeheim’s Army Preview — A Look at the Bracket

This is a very interesting 8-team bracket full of challenges and intriguing matchups for Boeheim’s Army. It will be no easy task for BA to get out of this regional bracket.

Here’s a quick look at the other 7 teams — I’ll be doing a more in-depth preview of upcoming opponents as those games approach, but here’s a quick overview of the bracket:

Round 1 — India Rising

I’ll be diving more into India Rising’s roster on Thursday’s post.

Round 2 Potential Matchups

4 SEED — The Nerd Team

• This second year team (lost to Blue Collar U in the first round in 2021) is full of Ivy League players…and some other high-level players
• Azar Swain (Yale) was last year’s Ivy League Player of the Year.
• The 6’1’’ guard averaged 19.2 points a game for the Bulldogs last season.
• They also feature Prentiss Hubb and Paul Atkinson — two former Notre Dame players who will not make life easy for any tea
• The team features players from Yale, Harvard, Brown, and other schools with professional appearance.
• They will be a very difficult out.

5 SEED — Brown and White

• Comprised mostly of former players from St. Bonaventure, Brown and white is playing in their second TBT.
• This roster doesn’t have a lot of “big names” on it, but there is a TON of talent featuring players who have a lot of TBT experience, A-10 experience, and overseas success.

Round 3 Potential Matchups

2 SEED — Blue Collar U

• This is a University of Buffalo alumni team — they advanced all the way to the quarterfinals in last year’s TBT (impressive for a first year team)
• They feature a lot of players on the Buffalo teams that made some noise in the NCAA tournaments in 2018 and 2019.
• Blue Collar U opens up with NG Saints — a compelling team that features Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson

3 SEED — Friday Beers

• Friday Beers (formerly Armored Athlete) has been one of the mainstays on the TBT circuit. This is their 8th season (they’re 14–7 overall) in TBT.
• This roster has players from all over the place (Michigan, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Campbell, Fairfield, Charleston, Siena, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State, Central CT, Holy Cross, Iona, Missouri, etc.) with no real affiliation with a particular school.
• The most notable/known player on the roster is probably Josh Perkins — the former point guard for Gonzaga.
• I know I keep saying this, but with their grit and experience, expect Friday Beers to be a tough out

6 SEED — Mental Toughness

• Mental Toughness is in their second year as a TBT participant (0–1).
• This roster features a lot of low-major/mid-major players. From what I’ve gathered, they only have one player who has played at a Power-Five school (Ian Dubose averaged 19 points per game before transferring to Wake Forest)

7 SEED — NG Saints

• Outside of Boeheim’s Army, this will be the most cheered for team for Syracuse fans during TBT.
• Most TBT rosters revolve around former colleges…but this team features alumni of Neuman Goretti, a high-school in Philadelphia.
• More notably, Scoop Jardine and Rick Jackson are on this roster.
• There are alumni from bigger schools on this team as well

Interesting Matchup Thoughts

Round 1

Blue Collar U vs. NG Saints

• There are going to be a lot of high-profile athletes in this matchup. Blue Collar U has experience and TBT success; NG Saints has a lot of players from strong college programs. I think NG Saints might be a little underseeded.

The Nerd Team vs. Brown and White

• I’m just really interested to see what The Nerd Team looks like on the court. Their roster intrigues me and I think they can make a run. Brown and White is obviously tough competition though…and I won’t be surprised if they come out top here.

Round 2

Boeheim’s Army vs. The Nerd Team/Brown and White

• If BA wins their first matchup, Round 2 will be intriguing no matter what. The Nerd Team features high quality New England talent and guys from Notre Dame. Brown and White features St. Bonaventure alumni. Interesting matchup regardless.

Blue Collar U/NG Saints vs. Friday Beers/Mental Toughness

• If higher seeds win, this will be a great second round matchup.
• I’m interested to see what Friday Beers looks like on the floor as well — especially when you think about their roster experience.

Regional Championship

• In a dream world, we’d all love to see Boeheim’s Army vs. NG Saints (for obvious reasons).
• The most likely situation (with no disrespect to anyone else in bracket) features Boeheim’s Army vs. Blue Collar U or Friday Beers.
• A matchup against Blue Collar U would be an all-out battle with a ton of New York energy — this is what I want to see.

I can’t speak to other brackets in the TBT because I’m just not familiar enough, but this seems like a pretty competitive 8-team bracket.

Check out Part 1 (Roster Preview) of this preview series and stay tuned for Part 3 (Breakdown of BA’s first round opponent — India Rising).