Ohio State alums, Carmen’s Crew fall in first game of TBT
By Ryan Stano
Carmen’s Crew, full of Ohio State alums, had a tough game against House of ‘Paign and it went right down to the wire.
Carmen’s Crew, the Ohio State alumni team, was the number one overall seed in The Basketball Tournament after winning it all last year. They started their title defense against House of ‘Paign, which was the Illinois alumni team. Their defense ended early.
It was a disappointing performance from the former Buckeyes, as their defense was sorely lacking the entire game. Despite having two shot blockers in Dallas Lauderdale and Pape Malik Dime, they got killed on the interior. There were way too many easy shots at the rim.
Mike Daum, the former South Dakota State Jackrabbit, was the best player on the floor. He scored 18 points and really got whatever he wanted most of the game. The combination of David Lighty and Deshaun Thomas guarding him did not work at all.
Last year’s MVP William Buford also didn’t show up. He only hit a couple of buckets and never could find his shooting stroke. The lack of offense from this team all-around was extremely surprising, especially given the addition of Thomas.
Aaron Craft ended up playing his final game of basketball. His defense was stellar as always, but his lack of shooting killed this team. He missed all three of his three-point shots and only made two layups. House of ‘Paign left him wide open on the three-point line multiple times and he didn’t make them pay.
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After winning it all a year ago, it’s a tough pill to swallow for these guys to get knocked out after only one game played. They were widely expected to get back to the Final Four and contend once again for the TBT title. Now, unfortunately, it’s all over.