The Basketball Tournament 2016: SemifInal Schedule and Predictions for Finals
While The Basketball Tournament has been entertaining to this point, the only thing that matters is the winner.
The start of this event featured 64 teams, but only four remain. There has been strong play by the top contenders as well as a handful of surprises in each round, similar to the March Madness event it replicates. However, reaching the semifinals isn't much of an accomplishment when only the winner takes home the $2 million prize.
Fans should expect some intense battles in the final three games of this tournament, starting with the two semifinal matchups set for Saturday.
TOP NEWS
Final Consensus NFL Mock Draft 📝
Edge Prospect Talks Canceled Jets Visit
3 Trade Targets Every Team Should Be Chasing 🎯
| July 30 | No. 5 Team Colorado vs. No. 9 Always a Brave | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| July 30 | No. 1 City of Gods vs. No. 2 Overseas Elite | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Aug. 2 | Championship Game | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
City of Gods vs. Overseas Elite
There have been a lot of close games over the last couple of weeks, but this one might be the most anticipated.
Overseas Elite are the defending champions who took home $1 million last year. While plenty of teams tried to rebuild former college squads, this one took on stars from a variety of teams with players who are still competing at a high level professionally.
D.J. Kennedy has been the big star as of late, tallying 18 points and nine rebounds in the quarterfinals win over Trained to Go. In the win over Ram Nation consisting of VCU players from the 2011 Final Four run, Kennedy dominated with 22 points and 14 rebounds. The forward should also be quite a fan favorite in New York City for the next two rounds after playing his college ball at St. John's.
Meanwhile, Oversea Elite boast a deep roster that also includes noteworthy players such as Kyle Fogg, DeAndre Kane and Myck Kabongo. It's a small but versatile lineup that can win in a number of ways.
On the other hand, City of Gods aren't just going to be a pushover. The squad went to the semifinals a year ago and is now looking to improve upon this result in 2016. In fact, the players are trying to not even think about the prize this time around.
"Last year, we let that consume us," former George Washington star Pops Mensah-Bonsu said, per Jeff Griffith of City of Basketball Love. "We got the final four after playing a great Syracuse team, and we kind of settled, kind of cashed the check coming into that game, so we’ve yet to bring that money up in any conversation. It’s about winning."
With an increased focus, City of Gods have been impressive to this point, winning their four contests by an average of 11.5 points per game.
This might be one of the deepest rosters in the competition, featuring veterans from big programs such as Mensah-Bonsu, James "Flight" White, Chris Wright, DerMarr Johnson and James Gist, as well as small-school scorers like Xavier Silas and Omar Strong. Many of them have professional experience, especially White, who recently spent time with the New York Knicks.
While this should go down as a memorable battle between two loaded squads, City of Gods have played better in this tournament and should squeeze out the win.
Prediction: City of Gods 88, Overseas Elite 86
Team Colorado vs. Always a Brave
While the other semifinal matchup features experienced squads that many expected to reach New York, it's a bit of a surprise that both teams are still alive.
Considering the alumni teams put together from Kentucky, Michigan State, Syracuse and others, you wouldn't necessarily expect schools such as Colorado and Bradley—programs without much history—to make a run. However, this is where we find ourselves after both teams have posted four wins.
Of course, Always a Brave feature players known for surprising runs. Patrick O'Bryant, Marcellus Sommerville, Tony Bennett and others helped Bradley reach the Sweet 16 in 2006, when they beat Kansas and Pittsburgh in the NCAA tournament.
O'Bryant ended up being the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA draft that year, although he struggled to get much playing time and eventually found himself out of a job. However, Ed Isaacson of NBA Draft Blog joked about the center playing to his ability:
With O'Bryant and Sommerville, who was the leading scorer on that Bradley team and is the clear go-to option at this event, Always a Brave are a major threat. They showed as much by dominating Pedro's Posse, a team with Jason Williams and Mike Bibby, 92-65 in the third round.
Team Colorado have impressive wins as well, including beating last year's runner-up Team 23. The former Buffaloes players have shown great cohesiveness throughout the tournament, while Marcus Hall has taken on most of the scoring load.
Unfortunately, this is not the deepest team around, and eventually the heavy workload is going to wear on the starters.
Given their edge in depth and huge size advantage in the post, the Bradley alumni should keep their run going.
Prediction: Always a Brave 81, Team Colorado 74
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for year-round sports analysis.
