The Basketball Tournament's 64-team field whittled its way down to two.
Left standing were Forever Coogs and Carmen's Crew, two talented squads remaining to battle in Sunday's championship game in Philadelphia.
At stake? $1 million.
Carmen's Crew was a 2.5-point favorite to win the game, and in the end Vegas was pretty much on the mark.
Forever Coogs took the early lead, but Carmen's Crew battled back by owning the second and third quarters with tough defense and excellent ball movement.
While the fourth quarter was a tough battle, Carmen's Crew — a team made up mostly of former Ohio State stars, including Buckeyes legend Jared Sullinger — proved to be too much, walking away with a 69-65 victory and the $1 million prize.
Here are the highlights!
Jared Sullinger's game-winning bucket set off a raucous celebration as Carmen's Crew won the event for the second time.
Here are some of the top moments and reactions following the game, including the official payment of the $1 million prize to the victors.
Final: Carmen's Crew 69, Forever Coogs 65
Andre Wesson kept his poise with a brilliant step-through move for a 3-point play, putting Carmen's Crew on the verge of victory.
Forever Coogs battled back within 67-65, putting both teams within one possession of the title.
But Carmen's Crew settled down things down by going to their leader Jared Sullinger, and he iced the contest with a bucket in the paint.
4:00, 4Q: Carmen's Crew 60, Forever Coogs 56
TBT uses the "Elam Ending" to finish games, which eliminates late-game fouling and tends to provide for a more exciting finish. With four minutes to go, a target score is set by adding eight to the score of whoever is leading at the time.
With $1 million on the line, the first team to score 68 points will win the game!
End of 3Q: Carmen's Crew 55, Forever Coogs, 49
With one period left in the chase for TBT's $1 million prize, Carmen's Crew holds a six-point advantage. Defense has been a big reason behind the run by Carmen's Crew, but it's still anyone's game.
4:40, 3Q: Carmen's Crew 48, Forever Coogs 38
Carmen's Crew started the second half hot, crafting a 12-4 run behind stingy defense, brilliant ball movement and strong inside play. Andre and Kaleb Wesson are leading the way.
Halftime: Carmen's Crew 36, Forever Coogs 34
Carmen's Crew built a game-high four-point lead late in the half and had a chance to extend that advantage right before the break. But a great defensive stop by Coogs led to a quick response, and the bucket by Fabian White set us up for a thrilling second half.
3:00, 2Q: Carmen's Crew 29, Forever Coogs 28
Former Ohio State star Jared Sullinger has been on a mission in the second quarter, at one point hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to get Carmen's Crew back into it.
TBT Partner Chris Paul stopped by for an interview early in the second quarter, talking about the matchup, the quality of players in the event and his vision for the future growth of the event.
End of Q1: Forever Coogs 21, Carmen's Crew 18
While Forever Coogs built an early lead, Carmen's Crew kept it close, battling back thanks to some ferocious defense from the likes of 44-year-old Jeff Gibbs, who was an All-American at Otterbein University.
Meanwhile, Coogs got an early boost from Wes VanBeck.
7:03, 1st QT
Fabian White has been throwing his weight around in the early going of this one, helping Forever Coogs build a small lead. White averaged 12.5 PPG for Houston as a senior in 2021-22.
Chris Paul is in attendance …
And so is … Baby Steph Curry?
HOW THEY GOT HERE
CARMEN'S CREW
Carmen's Crew advanced out of the Dayton Region and reached the championship game with 76-70 victory over La Familia in Friday's semifinal match.
The team is led by Jared Sullinger, who is playing in TBT after coaching the Ohio State alumni to the 2019 championship in the event. The 32-year-old, who played five years in the NBA before heading overseas and being named Chinese Basketball MVP this past year, was convinced by his three kids to put on scarlet and gray again and suit up for the Buckeyes. At 6-foot-9, 260 pounds, Sullinger has averaged 9.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and been a driving force in the Ohio State alumni’s second all-time run to the semifinals.
With a well-balanced attack of five players averaging at least 9.0 points per game, and brothers Andre and Kaleb Wesson helping to charge an offense that buried 16 triples in the quarterfinal rout of Takeover BC, Carmen’s Crew has multiple options to get them a bucket: a high-level pro in Sullinger and a dynamic guard in Desonta Bradford to steer the ship.
FOREVER COOGS
Forever Coogs advanced out of the Houston Region and reached the championship game with a 76-73 win over Eberlein Drive in Friday's semifinal game.
The team is led by former Houston players Rob Gray, Galen Robinson, Fabian White, Devin Davis and more. Gray hit the game-winning shot against Eberlein Drive.
A two-time first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection, the 30-year-old Gray scored 1,710 points in his Houston career, good for the conference’s all-time scoring record at the time of his graduation, and was an integral part in laying the foundation for what Kelvin Sampson has built over the last decade with the Cougars. This past winter, Gray, the 2021 EuroCup Finals MVP while with Monaco in France, called Sampson and vocalized how much he wanted to build a TBT team with all the recent alumni to have accomplished greatness at Houston.
One X-factor star to watch: Fabian White, the winningest player in Houston history with 121 wins.
