The Basketball Tournament 2020: July 9 Odds, TV Schedule, Live Stream, Rosters
Four-time champion Overseas Elite will finally take the floor in The Basketball Tournament 2020 on Thursday to face Armored Athlete in the second round of play at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The former titleholders will be on a mission to avenge their semi-final loss to reigning champ Carmen's Crew last year. That defeat was their first in five seasons and will likely serve as motivation to start this year's tournament with a bang.
Before that, though, the first game of the doubleheader will feature the matchup between The Money Team and Herd That.
The winners of each game will face off in the quarterfinals in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
The Basketball Tournament July 9 Schedule
No. 7 The Money Team vs. No. 23 Herd That (2 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 2 Overseas Elite vs. No. 15 Armored Athlete (4 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Preview
Overseas Elite is known for dominating this tournament, and it has managed to find a way to reload for its comeback season.
In addition to stalwart hoopers such as Frank Sessions, Bobby Brown and Pooh Jeter, the team has added seven-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson to the roster.
Johnson, who was cut by the Detroit Pistons before the 2019-20 regular season, will likely bring volume shooting to a team that is already adept at getting buckets.
One of the main reasons it came up short against Carmen's Crew last year was the absence of point guard Errick McCollum (CJ's brother), who skipped the tourney because of his wedding. He's not on the squad this year, either.
Head coach Marc Hughes will be hoping Johnson and D.J. Kennedy will be able to pick up the slack and get the team off to a winning start.
"This is not a regular-season league," Kennedy said via the team's Twitter account. "I think some guys don't realize how focused and locked in you have to be from the beginning, because it's only single elimination. If you're not locked in or don't bring it, you could be out first game."
As the No. 2-seeded team this year, Overseas Elite should be able to take care of business against the No. 15 Armored Athlete.
In its 98-91 win over Power of the Paw, Armored Athlete was led by a backcourt of John Roberson and Scott Machado, who combined for 49 points. They will need to put up a similar performance if they want to stop Sessions, Brown and Johnson.
Meanwhile, the No. 23-seeded Herd That will be looking to build on the momentum of its 80-65 win over Peoria All-Stars to try to take down The Money Team, which features former NBA players like Willie Reed and Tony Wroten.
"They’ve got five or six former guys that have played in the NBA," Herd That guard Jon Elmore told Joe Brocato of West Virginia Metro News. "They’ve got several guys that currently play overseas. It is going to be a fun game. They might look better than us on paper but I like our chances."
In addition to Elmore, who scored 2,638 points and dished out 783 assists in four years at Marshall University, Herd That is led by JaCorey Williams.
The 26-year-old put up 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds against the All-Stars.
The Money Team hasn't played yet due to a first-round bye, but it is loaded with talent and will present a big challenge for any team, including Herd That.
Look for The Money Team to move on to face Overseas Elite in the quarterfinals.
Follow Maurice Bobb on Twitter, @ReeseReport
