Dayton, Ohio — For Boeheim’s Army, Saturday’s goal was The Basketball Tournament’s final four.
The Syracuse-based team played defending champion Golden Eagles in the quarterfinals in the new Dayton Arena.
It did not start well for Boeheim’s Army. The team trailed 39-32 at the half. It trailed 58-50 after three quarters. But when the Elam Ending was set at 72, Boeheim’s Army trailed just 64-62.
Final score: Boeheim’s Army 73, Golden Eagles 69. Boeheim’s Army now plays Florida TNT at noon Sunday (ESPN).
>> Box score
It was a wild fourth quarter. Boeheim’s Army at one point trailed by as many as 11 points and came back to dethrone the defending champs.
Here’s what happened:
Tyrese Rice was huge in the Elam Ending. He scored eight points, all of them on drives, to deliver the win to Boeheim’s Army. He finished with a team-high 20 points.
Boeheim’s Army spread the floor in the final (Elam Ending) minutes and Rice was able to get past whoever ended up guarding him.
Boeheim’s Army had massive amounts of trouble scoring in the first half.
It went 14-of-33 overall, which wasn’t awful. But it went just 1-for-9 from the 3-point line and was an inexcusable 3-for-10 from the free-throw line.
The Army had a chance to bite into the Eagles lead numerous times in the second quarter but missed free throws dulled the momentum.
Boeheim’s Army’s two point guards, Tyrese Rice and Keifer Sykes, were paired together for much of that second quarter and were instrumental in keeping the team in the game.
The Golden Eagles started hot, cooled off considerably, but stayed in the game in the first half by moving the ball, making judicious cuts to the rim and just converting the easy bucket.
The Eagles were a scalding 8-for-11 to start the game. Boeheim’s Army, playing man defense, switched on everything and got caught at times ball-watching or rotating too slowly. Dwight Buycks, in particular, was difficult to check. He scored 12 first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting and made both of his 3-point attempts.
The Golden Eagles spread the floor on offense and basically have shooting threats at every position, which makes them extremely difficult to guard. But they struggled to make much in the second quarter and Boeheim’s Army inched closer.
A 10-0 Golden Eagles run late in the third quarter, just when Boeheim’s Army had crawled back to within 1, could have been a crushing blow.
During that span, the ageless Travis Diener (he’s 39) drained two 3-point shots. Boeheim’s Army went from trailing 46-45 to trailing 56-45. The Golden Eagles played a bit of 2-3 zone during that stretch.
Boeheim’s Army coach Jeremy Pope called time and Boeheim’s Army made some headway, getting to within 56-50.
Malachi Richardson has struggled to make shots in Boeheim’s Army’s last two games. He was 0-for-4 to start Saturday’s festivities.
But he was huge when it mattered, sinking shots, including a difficult at-the-shot-clock buzzer 3 to make a difference for his team down the stretch.
He finished with nine points, all of them crucial for a team striving to come back in a game it trailed most of the game.
Chris McCullough continued to be an important piece for Boeheim’s Army in this tournament. He is so quick for 6-foot-10 and can get to the glass and to shooting spots.
He had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Can we talk about free throws? Boeheim’s Army could not make them on Saturday.
Chris McCullough could have cut the margin to one at 5:41 of the game but missed two. He wasn’t the only offender. It was a pattern all day. Final total for Boeheim’s Army: 9-of-19.
Boeheim’s Army plays Florida TNT, which eliminated AfterShocks in Saturday’s first game. Final score: 92-63.
Florida TNT is loaded with athletes that can score. You might remember Dominique Jones, the former South Florida star. USF played against Syracuse when both teams were (briefly) in the Big East. Jones is still playing at age 32 and is still a bucket. He also takes A LOT of shots, including the game-winning 3. TNT also has a dynamic point guard in former Florida star Kenny Boynton. This might be the best team I’ve seen in TBT this year.
Florida TNT rebounded the ball, turned over AfterShocks and scored a ton of points in transition. The Elam Ending number for this game was 90. That’s a lot of points in games that have three 9-minute quarters and a 5-minute fourth until the Elam kicks in.
This and that: DJ Kennedy came into this tournament as TBT’s all-time leading scorer. And while he has been so good on the backboards, he really struggled to … well, score. He did get a huge rebound off a Diener missed 3 during the Elam Ending. … Deandre Kane, for all his hustle, committed two silly fouls at the end of the shot clock Saturday. … Boeheim’s Army continues to master the Elam Ending here. It’s pretty remarkable how good they are when the game is on the line. … The Army went on a 21-7 run to end the game. … Rebounding: BA 44, GE 29.
