Boeheim's Army knocked out of TBT in loss to Herd That

Boeheim’s Army’s latest quest for a title came to an end on Sunday, as they gave up a 17-0 third quarter run that matched their eventual margin of defeat against Herd That in the quarterfinals of The Basketball Tournament, 88-71. Herd That needed less than three minutes to blitz the Army, making seven straight shots from the field in that burst and nine overall in taking control of the game.

Boeheim’s Army got balanced scoring in the game, but no player made more than four field goals and the unit collectively shot 36.5 percent from the floor. Deandre Kane and Grant Riller each had 15 points to lead the team with Kane scoring 13 in the opening half before cooling off. Jamil Wilson added 12 points while Chris McCullough (ten) and Rakeem Christmas (eight) fortified the frontcourt effort.

Rob Gray paced all scorers with 20 points in the game while Jon Elmore connected on 5-of-9 3-pointers for most of his 17 points. Jacorey Williams had 16 points while Taevion Kinsey chipped in 15 for Herd That.

The Army started slowly on offense, but combined some improved shooting with a strong defensive effort in the last four minutes of the first quarter to hold an 18-15 lead after the opening period. After Herd That got the first deuce of the second, Boeheim’s Army methodically posted six straight points for their biggest lead of the game at 24-17 just over three minutes into the quarter. Herd That would tie the game with under two minutes until the half, but another 6-0 Army streak would help them to a 38-33 halftime advantage.

Each side scored a basket after the halftime break, then Herd That trampled the Army with 17 straight points. When the dust died down, Herd That owned a 52-40 lead with just over four minutes elapsed.

Boeheim’s Army drew within nine, but Herd That pulled away over the final four minutes of the period, taking a 67-51 lead at the horn. In all, they outscored the Army in the third quarter, 34-13. Herd That coasted from there, as their lead ranged between 12 and 18 points the rest of the way.

• Boeheim’s Army’s frontline finally met their match on the glass. After the Army averaged a +6.7 rebounding margin through the first three games of TBT play, Herd That won the battle of the boards by a healthy 42-30 margin.

• 3-point shooting variance got the Army in a big way. After Blue Collar U missed their last 22 shots from beyond the arc in the third round against Boeheim’s Army, Herd That had no such problems, making 10-of-19 treys in the game. The third quarter was unsurprisingly most troubling, as Herd That connected on 6-of-8 shots from deep in the period.

• Meanwhile, the Army struggled with their long-range marksmanship, finding their mark on just 7-of-23 3s. The team shot 27-of-83 (32.5 percent) from deep in their four-game run.

• Several Boeheim’s Army players never got it consistently going over the four games. Jimmy Boeheim made just 5-of-16 shots, Jamil Wilson 10-of-30, and Dwight Buycks, Jr. just 7-of-20, missing all five of his 3-point shots. Even Andrew White III, who was a sizzling 7-for-8 in the opener, went just 1-of-5 after.

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