UB team to play in national alumni hoops tourney

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jun. 22—A herd of former Bulls will taking part in a nationally-televised basketball tournament this summer.

The Basketball Tournament, a 64-team tourney broadcast live on ESPN networks where the winning team earns $1 million, announced Monday that Blue Collar U, a team comprised of University at Buffalo men's basketball alumni, has been admitted into the field.

Blue Collar U, a first-time TBT participant, is organized by former UB and current Alabama assistant coach Bryan Hodgson and former student manager Wesley Scheier. The team will be coached by former UB Director of Basketball Operations Adam Bauman, who holds the same role now under former UB coach Nate Oats at Alabama.

The roster includes C.J. Massinburg (2015-19), Nick Perkins (15-19), Justin Moss (13-15), Lamonte Bearden (14-16), Blake Hamilton (15-17), Dontay Caruthers (16-19), Davonta Jordan (16-20), Wes Clark (17-18), Jeremy Harris (17-19) and Montell McRae (17-19).

Blue Collar U will be competing in the Columbus Regional at Ohio State's Covelli Center from July 23-27. The sixth-seeded U will take on No. 11 TNT (The Nerd Team), a group made up of players from institutions known for their academics, at 6 p.m. July 24.

If Blue Collar U advances to the second round, it will face the winner of Zip Em Up (Xavier alumni) and Ohio 1804 (Ohio U alumni) at 9 p.m. July 2. The third and final games of the Columbus Regional will take place July 27. TV broadcast information will be announced soon.

Two teams will advance from each of TBT's four regionals to compete in Championship Weekend in Dayton, Ohioa. Quarterfinals games will be played on July 31, and semifinals on Aug. 1. The TBT Championship game will be Aug. 3, where one player will hit a shot during the Elam Ending to win his team $1 million.

For more information on Blue Collar U and tickets for this year's TBT, visit TheTournament.com.