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The late push was exactly what Boeheim’s Army thought it’d be for the entirety of The Basketball Tournament. Spinning layups by Rakeem Christmas, nothing-but-net shots from Matt Morgan, lockdown defense from Dee Bost. Yet, starting to play like usual at the beginning of the Elam Ending wouldn’t cut it on Saturday. 

Assistant coach Shaun Belbey said before the start of the tournament that Boeheim’s Army wasn’t given enough credit. They were an alumni team and reigning champions, a combination that typically spelled early-round disaster for the ensuing tournament. No team except for Overseas Elite had won back-to-back tournaments. Coming off a commanding win against India Rising, Boeheim’s Army knew its own strengths, as it flew by IR in transition, bullied its way through the paint and buried their opponent with lights-out shooting from the field.

But in their second-round game against The Nerd Team, Boeheim’s Army allowed far too many three-pointers and had a difficult time initially replacing the injured Tyler Ennis. Conversely, the team hardly connected from deep, and quickly found itself down double digits. A few flashes breathed life into a relatively quiet Boeheim’s Army bench, but they ultimately fell 81-74, upset by The Nerd Team. 

Here are some observations from the upset loss:

Replacing Tyler Ennis

Prior to Saturday’s game against The Nerd Team, it was announced that Ennis would be inactive with back spasms. Ennis, while going just 2-of-9 from the field and 0-for-4 on three-pointers, scored four points as well as four rebounds and assists against India Rising. He was replaced by Matt Morgan, whom C.J. Fair called Boeheim’s Army’s biggest mismatch on its quest to win another title, BA’s first test of a goal to strengthen the bench.

Morgan tried, then head coach Jeremy Pope tinkered with Andew White to see if any spark could be created. While Morgan did collect a block, a rebound and six points in the first half, there was still a gap in production. As the game progressed, however, Morgan settled in enough to ensure Ennis’s presence wasn’t missed. He couldn’t connect from deep, but neither could Ennis on Friday night. Morgan hit his free throws and assisted Bost on his made 3-pointer with a quick pass on the outer arc.

3-point struggles persist

Going just 7-of-24 from deep against No. 8 seed India Rising didn’t spell disaster for Boeheim’s Army. They made up for it by dominating nearly every other facet of the game. But early on against The Nerd Team, it was clear BA would have a difficult time shaking rust off of shots from long range. Right out of the gate, Matt Morgan misfired on a 3, beginning a trend that would engulf D.J. Kennedy, Andrew White and Bost.

Boeheim’s Army ended the first half with just one made 3 via Bost on 10 attempts. Miss after miss piled up, as everyone but Christmas, Deandre Kane and Marek Dolezaj tried their hands — unsuccessfully — at a shot from deep. Only when Bost connected from the left side with 5:17 left to go in the third quarter did the nearly two-quarter 3-pointer-less streak end. 

White barely made a dent in the game, finishing with just three points across 16 minutes. But Morgan flashed what Fair had touched on after Friday’s win, and what assistant coach Shaun Belbey echoed prior to the tournament: Morgan was going to be an X-Factor, capable of proving his capabilities far beyond what was projected of him.

Boeheim’s Army eaten up down low

BA didn’t have a ton of size last year despite a championship run. They lost Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon prior to this year’s tournament, but then added Christmas and Dolejaz to man the paint. That demonstrated a few holes in low-post defense, with India Rising head coach Ajay Sharma even saying the team’s halftime adjustment was recognizing that they could play with the more talented BA down low.

When The Nerd Team wasn’t finding success from long range — though they tended to throughout the contest — the team opted to drive inside and test the low post, specifically Dolezaj. At the end of the first half, The Nerd Team had collected 14 points in the paint, and Christmas had already collected two fouls while Dolezaj recorded just one rebound in five minutes.

Poor shooting from the field

Boeheim’s Army managed to salvage a good number of possessions off missed shots. That they finished the first half shooting almost 40% from the field meant they made adjustments, or at the very least, settled in. The midrange shots that Kane and DJ Kennedy connected on in BA’s first game didn’t seem to fall at the same rate they did against The Nerd Team. When they did find points from the field, it tended to be layups from passes inside or drives toward the basket for a make on a contested layup.

Sometimes, Christmas would collect a pass from up top and bully down his man, shrinking him into inexistence like he did on Friday night. That only worked so many times, however, as The Nerd Team tended to double-team BA’s big man. Soon, Christmas was coughing up the ball, like he did on BA’s first possession of the fourth quarter.

Perimeter defense, or lack thereof

Boeheim’s Army knew India Rising was more of a perimeter team, so they focused on trapping guards on the outside. It tended to work, as IR finished just 12-of-33 from deep. Unfortunately, the success on locking down long-range shots didn’t translate to Saturday’s second round game against The Nerd Team, who came out scorching hot on 3s and never looked back. Tyler Nelson and Jordan Bruner led a potent attack on 3-pointers that quickly buried Boeheim’s Army in the first half.

Hard screens, such as the one Brandon Sherrod put on Matt Morgan in the first quarter that allowed Nelson to get completely open, were the difference between a game within reach and BA head coach Jeremy Pope dismissively calling a timeout to recoup the team. Even when Christmas would stand tall down low, The Nerd Team would find an open man outside, like Jelan Kendrick, who’d finish the possession with a 3.

With one minute left in the third quarter and Boeheim’s Army already down big, Sherrod collected a pass at the top of the key from down low. Christmas had just a second earlier shifted two steps toward the basket, leaving Sherrod completely open. Swain saw the window, checked the ball up and slid into a box-out formation while he watched Sherrod’s sole 3 swish in.

Published on July 23, 2022 at 4:32 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt