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Coming off their biggest win of The Basketball Tournament against defending champion Blue Collar U, Boeheim’s Army faced another test.

BA only had Herd That, a team made up of Marshall alums, between themselves and the Final Four. On Sunday, they played in Wheeling, West Virginia, three hours from Marshall’s campus.

Boeheim’s Army looked well on their way to secure the win before Jon Elmore caught on fire in the second half, exploding for 11 points in the third quarter.

Second Half Struggle

Boeheim’s Army didn’t play their best basketball in the first half, but they played well enough to secure a six-point lead heading into the break.

Throughout TBT, Boeheim’s Army has struggled in certain portions of the game. In their opening-round game against Team Gibson, BA fell down double digits early, but overcame the deficit quickly and won comfortably. Against Blue Collar U in the Syracuse Regional Final, BA struggled again in the first quarter, falling behind by double digits again and coming back to win.

Against Herd That, Boeheim’s Army wasn’t as fortunate. During the third quarter, BA was outscored 34-13, completely losing control of the game. Grant Riller couldn’t calm down the offense as he’s done in the past. BA looked out of sorts, taking bad shot after bad shot, which sparked breaks for Heard That’s fast-paced offense.

In the fourth quarter, BA failed to make any sort of noise because of their inability to get stops on defense. Herd That got whatever looks they wanted without much resistance. When down double digits in the fourth, It seemed that BA players didn’t feel they could come back. Just before the Elam Ending, JaCorey Williams caught the ball in the middle of the floor with nobody near him. Williams rose up throwing down a two-handed reverse dunk, putting Herd That up 80-64, setting the target score at 88.

Kane’s Homecoming

DeAndre Kane played at Marshall from 2010 to 2013, but on Sunday, he found himself playing against people from his alma mater. Kane explained in a pregame interview with ESPN that Herd That asked him to play for their team this year, but he remained loyal to Boeheim’s Army.

Kane hasn’t been a massive offensive threat for BA this tournament but has picked his moments to attack. The TBT veteran opened up the scoring for BA, knocking down a pull-up 3 from the right wing. The next possession down the floor, Kane received the ball in the post with the defender on his hip. Kane backed Elmore down before flipping his hips, rising up and drawing a foul.

In the second quarter, Kane poked the ball away from behind and started a break the other way. Kane aggressively attacked the rim off a feed from Robinson before getting fouled again. Later in the quarter, Kane curled off a screen from Jamil Wilson. Wide open from three, he drained the ball to put BA up 30-24.

Kane also attacked off the bounce. Controlling the ball at the top of the key with the lane cleared out, he ripped the ball from right to left, getting into the lane and finishing through contact for two. Kane scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

Blitzing Ball Screens

Herd That played an aggressive style of defense, blitzing ball screens when they could. They specifically targetted Riller, who averaged over 20 points per game in the Syracuse Regional. As much as Herd That tried, it didn’t work as much as they wanted.

Early on, Riller was blitzed at the top of the key but found an easy pocket pass to Chris McCullough, who pulled up for an easy jumper early in the first quarter.

The aggressive style of defense created chaotic possessions, but BA dealt with the pressure well, especially in the first quarter. Herd That had trouble holding onto the ball, turning it over five times in the first quarter, while Boeheim’s Army didn’t have any. BA ran into a little trouble during the second quarter when Justin Robinson tried forcing a ball into Rakeem Christmas in the post. Robinson’s pass went awry, getting poked away and starting a break. Eventually, the ball was in the hands of Elmore, who picked out Taevion Kinsley in the corner, punishing BA by knocking down a 3 to cut their deficit to 32-30.

Elmore Catches fire

But once he steps onto the court, it’s apparent how dangerous he is. Not only can Elmore light it up from deep, but he also gets the crowd going with momentum-shifting lobs to his teammates.

The Marshall alum scored 17 points and assisted 6. BA made the mistake of helping off Elmore who punished them by knocking down a 3-pointer in the first quarter. With Rob Gray leading during the second quarter, Elmore ran straight to the 3-point line, catching and letting go of another bomb from deep.

Elmore sparked Herd That’s strong opening to the second half, after getting away from Kane he glided through the lane for two. After Herd That took a two-point lead, Elmore started a break. The point guard didn’t even let the defense set before squaring up for a deep 3 to put his team up five. Elmore knocked down another 3-pointer, somehow finding himself wide open at the top of the key, finishing off a 17-0 run from Herd That to get a 10-point lead.

Elmore knocked down his third 3-pointer of the quarter, this time hitting from the logo, putting Herd That up 12. Elmore’s explosion in the third started a run that Boeheim’s Army never recovered from.

Published on July 30, 2023 at 6:16 pm

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