The Basketball Tournament 2020: July 8 Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream, Rosters

The reigning champion of The Basketball Tournament finally steps foot on the floor at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday.

Carmen's Crew, a team made up of Ohio State alumni, plays in the second game of a round-of-16 doubleheader against 16th-seeded House of 'Paign.

Both of Wednesday's games will have a heavy Big Ten feel to them, as Big X faces Red Scare in the opener before the Ohio State and Illinois alumni teams clash. 

The winners will collide in the quarterfinals on the top part of the bracket, which also includes a matchup between Golden Eagles and Brotherly Love.

On Monday, Golden Eagles, another favored side to win TBT, showed no signs of rust in its round-of-16 clash with Team CP3. 

The Basketball Tournament July 8 Schedule

No. 8 Red Scare vs. No. 9 Big X (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 1 Carmen's Crew vs. No. 16 House of 'Paign (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Preview

Carmen's Crew is well aware of its new status as a tournament favorite, as head coach Jared Sullinger noted to 247Sports' Patrick Murphy.

"The biggest thing is we became the hunters to the prey," he said. "Now everybody wants a piece of Carmen's Crew just because we won it."

Carmen's Crew was listed as the the second favorite to win TBT at 5-2, per William Hill, behind four-time champion Overseas Elite. House of 'Paign was posted at 25-1, while Red Scare had 18-1 odds to win and Big X was at 20-1.

The roster of the 2019 winners is full of familiar faces who played at Ohio State over the last decade, including Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, William Buford and Dallas Lauderdale. 

The years of playing together in college and combining in the TBT format should be enough for the titleholders to negate House of 'Paign's time on the floor.

However, the No. 16-seeded team has a chance to contend with Carmen's Crew if Mike Daum receives scoring support. The former South Dakota State star produced 21 points and 13 rebounds in the round-of-24 triumph over War Tampa. 

Andres Feliz and Malcolm Hill both found their way into double digits, but their matchups with Craft, Deibler and others could halt their scoring progress. 

If Carmen's Crew limits the threat and thrives with a well-rounded approach, it may cruise and reinforce its status as the No. 1 seed. 

The Ohio State alumni will get a firsthand look at their potential quarterfinal foe in the opener, which will be contested by plenty of familiar faces. 

Red Scare is comprised of Dayton alumni and Big X is made up of former Big Ten players, most of whom have played with or against the members of Carmen's Crew. 

Big X's top X-factor will be Michigan State product Nick Ward, who punished D2 with 18 points, five rebounds and a relentless effort down low in the round of 24. 

If extra attention is paid to Ward, Big X can call on a handful of guards, including former Butler star Kellen Dunham and Wisconsin alum Khalil Iverson.

However, the one concern for Big X is the slow start it produced Saturday, as it had to come back against D2 after trailing for 25 of the opening 27 minutes through three quarters. 

Red Scare has a unique look to its roster with Ryan Mikesell and Trey Landers joining the squad off their fantastic season with Dayton. In a way, TBT will serve as a chance for both men to compete in a knockout-style tournament similar to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which was cancelled in March. 

If Red Scare gets past Big X, it could set up a rematch with Carmen's Crew. The Ohio State-laden team won their third-round meeting last season to move on to the final eight.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from TheTournament.com.