After waiting in the wings for a year, Boeheim’s Army finally got revenge over The Nerd Team.
Last year, Boeheim’s Army was the defending champion of The Basketball Tournament, but got sent home early. TNT knocked out BA in the second round, which tied its earliest exit ever.
This summer, the basketball gods gave Boeheim’s Army a chance at revenge. Just like last year, the two teams squared off in the second round of the Syracuse regional. But this time, the home team prevailed 83-75.
Boeheim’s Army led most of the way, but the most important stretch happened right before halftime. That’s when BA went on a 17-1 run. Starting guard Grant Riller scored eight of those points, while forward Chris McCullough added two three-pointers in that stretch.
Riller produced outside of that span as well. He led all scorers with 27 points on 64% shooting. It was fitting that the College of Charleston product scored the game-winning free throw.
This was the second straight game that Riller was the lead man for Boeheim’s Army. He also led the team in scoring in Monday’s first round win over Team Gibson, when he tallied 20 points. However, controlling the offense wasn’t necessarily Riller’s plan.
“I just wanted to come in and be myself,” Riller said. “They (Boeheim’s Army) have been a great team before I even got here, so I just wanted to come in and play my role. They give me free range to be myself and be aggressive, so that goes a long way. I’m just happy to be a part of the squad.”
Another key offensive force was BJ Johnson, who scored 10 points in the first quarter. However, he exited the game and didn’t return, seemingly due to injury. Starting point guard Dwight Buycks also left the game and appeared hurt. Losing those two starters would be devastating to the Syracuse alumni squad.
Next up for Boeheim’s Army is a round of 16 matchup against the reigning TBT champions, Blue Collar U. That team featured University of Buffalo alumni, so a big showing from the visiting crowd is likely.
Make sure to follow @OrangeFizz on Twitter for live updates of every Boeheim’s Army game.
