The Basketball Tournament 2020: July 7 Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream, Rosters

Two of the three lowest seeds participating in The Basketball Tournament's round of 16 will look to spring upsets Tuesday afternoon at Nationwide Arena. 

No. 22 seed Sideline Cancer faces No. 6 seed Team Challenge ALS in the opener, while No. 3 Boeheim's Army takes on No. 19 Men of Mackey in a clash of Syracuse and Purdue alumni in the second matchup.

Sideline Cancer and Men of Mackey have the advantage of playing one game in Columbus, Ohio already, but that may not matter on the court, as fourth-seeded Golden Eagles controlled their first game Monday.

The victors will move on to the quarterfinal round, which will be held Friday and Saturday as part of the 10-day event. 

The Basketball Tournament July 7 Schedule

No. 6 Challenge ALS vs. No. 22 Sideline Cancer (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 3 Boeheim's Army vs. No. 19 Men of Mackey (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Games can be live-streamed on ESPN.com or ESPN app.

Preview

Challenge ALS and Sideline Cancer may be 16 numbers apart on the seed line, but that isn't indicative of what the matchup will produce. 

Sideline Cancer won two games at the Wichita regional in 2019 and gave runner-up Golden Eagles a good run in the third round. Even with that resume, it had the longest odds of any team at 125-1 to win the tournament, while Challenge ALS was posted at 18-1, per William Hill.

Challenge ALS advanced to the same stage last season before falling to Eberlein Drive, which was the No. 5 seed this year before it was removed due to a positive COVID-19 test. 

With former Boston College guard Tyrese Rice and former Wyoming star Casper Ware in the squad, Challenge ALS founder Sean Marshall believes he is bringing his best team yet to TBT, per the Boston Herald's Steve Hewitt:

“We think we have the best team that we’ve ever had being in this tournament. I think we have the best guard play in the tournament. ... It gives us for sure an advantage of getting into the paint on every possession and if we have (Rice and Ware) together, they can both create their own shot and create shots for other people. I think that’s what the TBT is all about. Having guard play like that is the ultimate advantage.”

Guard play should dictate Challenge ALS' matchup with Sideline Cancer, who got 29 points from Marcus Keene in Sunday's 93-91 win over Team Hines. 

Keene and Remy Abell could be tough matchups for Challenge ALS' guards, and Sideline Cancer may have the advantage down low with former Maryland center Diamond Stone, who posted 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the round of 24. 

Men of Mackey could utilize the frontcourt as well to spring an upset over Boeheim's Army. Isaac Haas put up 11 points and 10 rebounds in the opening win over Heartfire. The Purdue-heavy team entered at 75-1 to win the tournament. 

If the squad primarily comprised of Purdue alumni benefits from the inside-outside duo of Haas and former Washington player Justin Dentmon, who led the team with 31 points Sunday, it could cause problems for the No. 3 seed. 

Boeheim's Army, who entered with the fourth-best odds to win it all at 7-1, could do the same to Men of Mackey, with Eric Devendorf, Brandon Triche and Malachi Richardson all capable of getting hot from beyond the arc. 

The addition of former Colgate player Will Rayman could help with the offensive output from beyond the arc.

If all of Boeheim's Army shooters work well together, it could counter Men of Mackey's size advantage through Haas and help the Syracuse alumni reach the final eight, which is something they were unable to do in 2019.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from TheTournament.com