Ohio State's Carmen's Crew blasts Takeover BC, advances to TBT semifinals
It took 28 seconds for Desonta Bradford to step into a wide-open 3-pointer.
Not even half a minute into Monday night’s The Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game inside Louisville’s Freedom Hall, the East Tennessee State product and member of Carmen’s Crew swished his shot to give the Ohio State alumni team the quick lead against team Takeover BC.
The shot ended all further suspense. One game removed from taking down the reigning champions, Carmen’s Crew built that 3-0 lead to 9-2, then 19-5, then 26-7, and kept going in a decisive, blowout 90-74 win.
"I think we’re deep," Ohio State's Jared Sullinger told the FS1 broadcast. "We can play everybody that’s on our roster. Everybody has the ability to make shots. We’ve got a good combination of guys that know how to play basketball."
The Ohio State alumni team entered the Elam Ending portion of the game with an 82-58 lead, making the target score to win 90 points. What followed was an uninspiring foul-fest that stood in stark contrast to the previous part of the game. It finally ended with a Bradford jumper, sending Carmen's Crew onto the next round.
In seven years of participating in TBT, this marks Carmen’s Crew’s deepest run since it won the 2019 event. The Ohio State alumni team, formerly named Scarlet and Gray, lost in the fourth round in 2018 and the fifth round in 2017.
This time, Carmen’s Crew will play the Kentucky alumni team of La Familia at 9 p.m. Friday in Philadelphia for a spot in the $1 million winner-take-all championship game.
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Takeover BC, which describes itself as a team that “brings together the top hoopers from across the globe,” never seriously threatened the former Buckeyes. Led by former Iona star AJ English, who was averaging a tournament-best 23.7 points per game this year, Takeover BC entered the game averaging 89 points per game.
But when Carmen’s Crew’s Erick Neal hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left in the first half, it capped an 18-5 run to close the half, set the halftime lead at 52-25 and added to the significant statistical discrepancy between the teams. Carmen’s Crew went into the half having hit 11 of 24 3s (45.8%) while Takeover BC was only 4 for 12 (33.3%). The former Buckeyes also held an 11-3 advantage in points off of turnovers, turning over Takeover BC nine times while only committing three.
The second half was more of the same, as Carmen's Crew kept connecting from 3. At one point, the former Buckeyes hit 15 of 30 and built a lead of 40 points.
Carmen’s Crew was without one of its five former Buckeyes: Kyle Young, who played for Ohio State from 2017-22, missed his second straight game. He was listed as out on the pregame availability report and watched the game in street clothes from the end of the bench.
Eleven different players scored for Carmen's Crew. Former Buckeye Andre Wesson led them with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting while Keyshawn Woods had 9, Sullinger had 7 points and 10 rebounds and Kaleb Wesson had 6 points and seven rebounds.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State's Carmen's Crew blasts Takeover BC, advances to TBT semis
