NEW YORK — Syracuse hoops in July returns this Saturday as Boeheim’s Army looks to make a run in The Basketball Tournament, which kicks off this week for the fifth summer. Officially, BA tips off on Saturday at 6:50 p.m. from the Steinberg Wellness Center at Long Island University-Brooklyn, not far from Barclays Center. BA, a team composed of SU men’s basketball alumni, lost in the final four last year to eventual-champion Overseas Elite. BA has a 9-3 record over the past three summers.

Here’s what to know ahead of this year’s tournament:

What is The Basketball Tournament?

The Basketball Tournament is a 72-team, single-elimination tournament that awards $2 million to the winning team. The games are five-on-five and anyone older than 18 is eligible, including former Division I stars and professional players from mostly overseas. It’s broadcast and streamed by ESPN. Should BA make a deep run, it’d play in Brooklyn, Atlanta and Baltimore.

With two wins in New York this weekend, BA would advance to the next two rounds the following weekend in Atlanta.

Boeheim’s Army, meet the team

Last year, Brandon Triche and Eric Devendorf carried the offense to the semifinal round. Both return this year and figure to be integral players again. Devendorf, for one, averaged 19.2 points per game last year and was named a member of the TBT 2017 All-Tournament Team.

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The unit is coached by former SU big man Ryan Blackwell and managed by Kevin Belbey, a former student manager for SU and a graduate of both the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and SU’s College of Law.

This is the fourth TBT entry for Boeheim’s Army in TBT’s five-year existence. Last year, SU lost in the semis, while in 2016 it lost in the Super 16. In 2015, Boeheim’s Army was a top seed but fell in the Elite Eight to City of Gods, a team that fielded five players with NBA experience.

This year’s BA team has a No. 1 seed, backed by Devendorf and Triche in the backcourt, along with John Gillon, Arinze Onuaku, James Southerland, Hakim Warrick and DaShonte Riley.

Their last time on the LIU-Brooklyn hardwood, the Syracuse alumni overcame a 25-point deficit on a 40-10 run. Orange head coach Jim Boeheim tweeted after the game, saying it was one of the greatest Orange comebacks he had ever seen.

How to watch

The games can be streamed on ESPN3. Tickets are on sale on TheTournament.com to see The Army, which plays the winner of the Philadelphia Stars-South Jamaica Kings game. If BA wins Saturday, it will play Sunday at 4:40 p.m.

Published on July 20, 2018 at 2:14 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21