Tag: Big X

In the midst of a global pandemic, the TBT bubble was a needed success story

In the midst of a pandemic, the TBT created a safe environment

[lawrence-newsletter]After thousands of COVID-19 tests, a million dollar three pointer, and hundreds of pros going head-to-head, The Basketball Tournament (TBT) came to a successful end last night. TBT safely instituted a rampant testing plan inside of a bubble in Columbus, Ohio that brought basketball back to America from July 4 to July 14. The state of Wisconsin was well-represented in the finals as Fond Du Lac native and former Marquette Golden Eagle Travis Diener hit the million dollar shot (thank you Elam Ending) to give his Golden Eagles Marquette alumni squad their first ever TBT victory.

The Badgers also had their imprint on basketball’s return to the United States. Former Wisconsin standouts Vitto Brown, Kahlil Iverson, and Trevon Hughes were all part of Big X, a Big Ten alumni squad, and Ethan Happ was a member of Team Hines in this year’s tournament. Big X won their initial game before falling to Dayton alumni squad Red Scare, while Team Hines went down in a first round thriller to eventual runner up Sideline Cancer.

For professional basketball players, this was an experience they will never forget. Playing inside of a successful bubble was a unique challenge that Brown, who currently plays in the NBA G-League, took on with hundreds of other pros. The feeling of getting out there and hooping still gave these athletes the same thrill that it always does, despite the strange circumstances.

“It felt great to play again. Although the result was not what we wanted, I know myself and everyone else was happy to be a part of the first major basketball in America since the pandemic,” Brown told BadgersWire. “It’s always cool getting back with my fellow Badgers Khalil [Iverson] and Tre Hughes. I knew everyone on [Big X] either from playing with or against them in the past so we enjoyed our time on and off the court.”

Playing inside of a bubble was a new experiment in unprecedented times. The NBA is currently attempting to do the same in Orlando as most players have already entered their bubble at Disney World. As the last ten days showed, the world’s premier basketball league should look to TBT for guidance. During TBT, inside America’s first sports bubble, the protocol passed safety tests with flying colors. Testing began when players were at home, and then continued during their isolation period when they arrived to the hotel in Columbus. Any positive test at any point resulted in the disqualification of teams, which happened to multiple squads before the tournament began and on day one of TBT. By the time the players inside of the bubble reached day 5 of their quarantine period, there were zero positive COVID-19 tests in Columbus.

So what was all of this like from the player’s perspective? “The experience in the bubble was extremely unique,” Brown told BadgersWire. “Upon arrival we had to get tested immediately (after passing 2 tests at home prior to arrival). We had to quarantine in our rooms until our results came back negative. Any positive test at the hotel/bubble resulted in the disqualification of your whole team. Food would be at designated pick up spots during specific times slots. You could order delivery but you had to go down and pick it up from the lobby and bring it back to your room. Once tests were passed you were allowed to interact with your team only, in your designated team suite.”

The former Badger and Big X standout echoed statements from around the basketball world that TBT had done a fantastic job of keeping athletes safe and healthy while giving them a chance to hoop. “TBT did an excellent job in terms of safety, protocols, organization, etc. Especially for the first time. If this situation were to happen again, they’d no doubt have a perfect system next time.”

TBT successfully created a safe environment while bringing sports fans ten days of joy that has been severely lacking without live athletics. Hopefully aspects of the tournament model can be used as a game plan for success as other leagues begin to attempt their own returns.

 

 

TBT game preview: Big X vs. Red Scare

TBT game preview: Big X vs. Red Scare

HOW TO WATCH: Big X vs. Red Scare, ESPN, 2ET 

Game Preview: Three Wisconsin alums remain in the 2020 TBT, and all play for Big Ten alumni squad Big X. Vitto Brown, Trevon Hughes, and Kahlil Iverson all had a significant impact in Big X’s come from behind first round victory over D2. Iverson hauled in 11 boards and Hughes connected on major threes during elam ending time to send the former Badgers to round two with a 79-74 win. Former Michigan State big man Nick Ward led the way offensively, and his presence on the interior could decide whether or not Big X lives to see another day.

Waiting for Big X in round two is the No. 8 seeded Red Scare, a Dayton alumni squad that had the last automatic bye into the second round.

Red Scare is led by a pair of Dayton Flyers from this past season in Ryan Mikesell and Trey Landers, although Wooden Award Winner Obi Toppin will not be suiting up. A plethora of players from the Flyers run to the Elite Eight in 2013-14 are also hitting the hardwood. Kyle Davis, Devin Oliver, and Jalen Robinson are among players from that cinderella squad who are reuniting in TBT 2020.

The leader of the Red Scare group has a familiar last name to anybody who follows the NFL. Joey Gruden, the son of current Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach John Gruden, will serve as the Head Coach of the Red Scare squad. He played at Dayton as a walk-on, and his since gone into the college coaching ranks.

Both of these teams were victims of eventual champions Carmen’s Crew in TBT 2019. Big X lost in round two to the Buckeye alumni squad and Red Scare fell in the regional final to Head Coach Jared Sullinger’s group.

Big X prides themselves on their defense, and GM Andrew Dakich has built a squad that can defend at the highest level in TBT. The skilled Red Scare offense versus a capable Big X defense should decide this second round battle.

 

 

Big X advances to second round of The Basketball Tournament

Big X, a team with a couple of former Ohio State players, squeezed past D2 78-74 to advance to the 2nd round of The Basketball Tournament.

Most of you are likely following the Ohio State alumni team Carmen’s Crew during The Basketball Tournament, but there’s another team that has some former Buckeyes playing in the winner-take-all summer basketball tourney that has captured the fancy of many OSU fans over the last couple of years.

Team Big X did have more Buckeyes slated to play on the team, but the Wesson brothers decided not to play for personal reasons, and  Keyshawn Woods could not join the team because of exposure to COVID-19.

But that’s okay. Former Ohio State players C.J. Jackson and Andrew Dakich are still on the team and looking to make a deep run. So far so good, as the team advanced to the second round, but not without some struggles. Despite being the No. 9 seed and favored against No. 24 seed D2, Big X trailed for most of the game before finally wrestling the lead away late in the game with a little bit of a run.

Former Michigan State big man Nick Ward was huge down the stretch, providing two back-to-back dunks to give Big X the lead 70-69 when the Elam Ending was put into place. From there, C.J. Jackson hit a deep jumper as a part of a mini-run, then ended it with a tear-drop in the lane to reach the go past the targeted score of 78 to D2’s score of 74.

The next game should be fun for Big X as it faces an Ohio based team out of Dayton, the No. 8 seed Red Scare, at 2PM on Wednesday.

 

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TBT 2020 Big X vs. D2: How to watch, game predictions

How to watch and predictions for round one of the TBT

In game one of the 2020 TBT (The Basketball Tournament), three former Badgers will lead Big X, a team made up of Big Ten basketball alumni, against D2, a squad made of up former NCAA Division II stars. Here is all you need to know to get you ready for the matchup:

HOW TO WATCH: 3 PM ET on ESPN, WatchESPN

Former Badger Vitto Brown gets the start for Big X:

D2’s starting lineup:

Game Prediction: Round one pits two 2019 second-round exits against each other. D2 features a talented roster of former Division II stars that upset a Kentucky alumni team in round one last season. Led by SG Mike Davis, they feature a number of guys who can get buckets in any given game. Big X is looking to get over the second round hump after being blown out by ultimate champion Carmen’s Crew last season after winning their opening game. Three Badgers in Vitto Brown, Kahlil Iverson, and Trevon Hughes join together with a number of Ohio State alums to make some magic happen in Columbus.

In the end, the size of Big X inside led by former Michigan State big man Nick Ward will prove to be too much for D2. Expect Vitto Brown, who is coming off of his best G-League season with the Erie Bayhawks, to have a solid showing for Big X on their way to a win.

Score: Big X 82   D2 74

Former Ohio State forward Jea’Sean Tate joins Big X for TBT

Former Ohio State basketball forward Jae’Sean Tate will be joining Big X for The Basketball Tournament per a release.

There’s another former Ohio State basketball player that will be taking part in the winner-take-all basketball tournament so adeptly named — The Basketball Tournament. Jae’Sean Tate, who bridged the coaching transition from Thad Matta to Chris Holtmann will be joining No. 9 seed Big X according to an announcement on Twitter.

Big X already has three former Buckeyes on the squad with C.J. Jackson, Andrew Dakich, and Keyshawn Woods, so his presence gives the team four more recent graduates and alums of Ohio State for fans to cheer for. It does however appear that the Wesson brothers have made a decision to not play with the team because it was “in their best professional interest” per a team spokesman. With the Kaleb and Andre, it would have made six OSU players on the team.

Of course, the other Ohio State alumni heavy team Carmen’s Crew, is the defending champions and No. 1 seed. It has seven former Ohio State players from the glory days of the Matta era.

Over his four-year career with Ohio State, Tate became known for his tenacity and hard work in and around the rim. His peers looked up to him as a team captain, and he was the heart and soul of a couple of those teams that struggled to meet expectations.

He averaged 11.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28 minutes per game over the four years in Columbus. The Basketball Tournament is all set to kick off in 13 days at Nationwide Arena.

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The Basketball Tournament official bracket matchups including Carmen’s Crew

The Basketball Tournament has released the complete 24-team bracket with matchups.

All the speculation and conjecture can now be put to the side. Yeah, we’re excited about college football and the restart to many of the other professional sports, but before all of that, we’ll get a chance to see the winner-take-all tournament known as The Basketball Tournament. It has captured the fancy of basketball fans over the last couple of summers, and most especially Ohio State fans.

There’s a couple of Buckeye alumni teams in a trimmed down 24-team field. It includes a defending champion Carmen’s Crew, and another squad with more recent graduates known as Big X.

Both will be competing for a boatload of cash, and we now know what the bracket looks like thanks to a graphic The Basketball Tournament released on its Twitter Profile. You can click on the below and see all the first-round matchups.

The official game times will be released soon, but we at least know that No. 1 overall seed Carmen’s Crew will matchup with the winner of House of Paign and War Tampa somewhere between July 6 and 9. Big X will take on Jackson TN Underdawgs on either July 4 or 5.

The entire event will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and televised entirely on the ESPN family of networks.

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Carmen’s Crew overall No. 1 seed for TBT, Big X makes field of 24 teams announced

The Basketball Tournament announced its 24 teams Tuesday. Carmen’s Crew was awarded the No. 1 seed and Big X made the field.

We’re just a few weeks away from the winner-take-all phenomenon known as The Basketball Tournament taking center stage at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. The tournament that has captivated basketball fans over the last couple of summers has been trimmed down to 24 teams from the usual 64. In addition, all games have been moved to one location in central Ohio to cut down on the risks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was a given that defending champion Carmen’s Crew — a squad made up of mostly Ohio State alum players — would be in the field, but was not known is what seed it would get. Wonder no more. The team that features players like William Buford, Jon Diebler, David Lighty, and Aaron Craft will be the No. 1 seed.

In some other good news, another team with Buckeye ties, Big X, also received the good news that it will be in the field as a No. 9 seed. That roster features Kaleb Wesson, Keyshawn Woods, CJ Jackson, Andrew Dakich and Andre Wesson.

A familiar team, four-time champion Overseas Elite, was awarded the No. 2 seed. Ohio State had to go through that squad in the semifinals before outlasting The Golden Eagles — a Marquette alumni squad — in the championship game. The Golden Eagles received the No. 4 seed.

This year’s tournament is scheduled to be played between July 4-14 and will be televised by the ESPN family of networks in its entirety.

 

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The Basketball Tournament to be held entirely in Columbus

The Basketball Tournament has announced its entire tournament will be played in Columbus at Nationwide Arena.

The Basketball Tournament will be held entirely in Columbus at Nationwide Arena according to an announcement from tournament organizers on Twitter Thursday.

The winner-take-all tournament that has captured the summer fancy of the basketball community over the last couple of years was supposed to have 64 teams but just recently announced the decision to trim things down to just 24 teams. It also made the tough decision to hold the tournament in one location, all because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That couldn’t be sweeter news for defending champion Carmen’s Crew who is made up mostly of Ohio State alums. When the original announcement came on moving the tournament to one location, it looked like the deal to play the Columbus Regional at home was scrubbed. And while it won’t take place at the shiny, new Covelli Center, now the whole deal will be in the capital city of Ohio.

The tournament is slated to run from July 4 through 14 with continual COVID-19 testing, and quarantine protocols to ensure the safety of all involved. Fans will not be allowed to attend.

Still, as all other spectator sports struggle with plans to re-open and get live competition back, it looks like TBT could be the first event to bring it all together.

“Being the first basketball event to play in the U.S. since March is a monumental task that is only possible with great partners,” TBT CEO Jon Mugar said in a news release. “We can’t thank the State of Ohio, Columbus Sports Commission, The Ohio State University and Nationwide Arena enough for their support, not to mention our longstanding partners ESPN, Puma and Zelle. Everyone is unified in wanting to see basketball on TV again, and our players can’t wait to compete.”

The complete field hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s expected that Carmen’s Crew as well as another team with former Buckeyes, Big X, could be poised to play games in their home city.

Former Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson joins TBT team Big X

Big X, who already has some former Ohio State players on the squad, has announced the addition of Kaleb Wesson.

The Basketball Tournament may be working to change the format of its winner-take-all event, but the show will still go on according to a release Wednesday.

The annual event has become a bit of a trip down memory lane for Ohio State fans. Carmen’s Crew, made up of mostly former players from the Thad Matta era, won the whole thing last year and is back to defend its title. On top of that, another TBT team that was started last year, Big X, has four former recent Ohio State players with C.J. Jackson, Andre Wesson, Andrew Dakich, and Keyshawn Woods.

And now it has five.

Kaleb Wesson, Ohio State’s big man for the past three seasons is joining the team according to an announcement on the team’s Twitter profile.

For Wesson, it’s a chance to continue to keep his game sharp and show off to NBA scouts that may be watching one of the only evaluation tools they have during the coronavirus pandemic. He made himself eligible for the 2020 NBA Draft and is a borderline second-round pick.

For Big X, it’s another name-brand player that will hopefully sway tournament organizers to select it as one of the trimmed down 24 teams the tournament will now have.

Stay tuned …

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C.J. Jackson, Andre Wesson, and Andrew Dakich join Big X, could face Carmen’s Crew

C.J. Jackson, Andre Wesson, and Andrew Dakich join Big X, a team of former Big Ten alum in The Basketball Tournament.

There’s another team in The Basketball Tournament that will have some serious Ohio State ties for the second year in a row. Big X announced three former Buckeyes to its roster Thursday.

Former point guard C.J. Jackson returns to Big X, with recently graduated Andre Wesson joining him. The heady Andrew Dakich will step off the sidelines as a coach and join Big X on the court this time. And there’s a good chance the team could match up with defending TBT champion Carmen’s Crew. Last year, Carmen’s Crew disposed of Big X 89-75 in the second round of the tournament.

If you’ve followed the original Ohio State alumni team Carmen’s Crew, there’s you’re familiar with the story. It has six former Buckeyes on the squad. Household names like Aaron Craft, William Burford, and David Lighty helped that team run through the tourney last year to win the championship and take home a $2 Million prize.

As for the Buckeyes being added to the Big X, they were given their own shoutout with a highlight reel also added in. Here’s a graphic just reminding everyone what they bring to the table.

If these two teams end up against each other, it’ll be like a dream come true for Buckeyes fans that used to watch those mid-2010s teams. Now starting a new decade, it’d be a nice blast to the past. Especially since the Columbus Regional is planned to take place on the campus of Ohio State at the new Covelli Center.

For now, we’ll just be thankful that we get to see these players on the court again as long as it all goes down as expected. The Basketball Tournament is set to kick off the Columbus Regional from July 23-26.