The former Buckeyes will look to rebound from an upset loss in the first round of last year's tournament.
The Basketball Tournament announced its 64-team bracket on Monday afternoon and Carmen’s Crew, the team comprised mostly of Ohio State alumni, earned the No. 1 seed in the Columbus Regional.
Carmen’s Crew will take on No. 16 seed Mid-American Unity, led by former Ohio State and Toledo forward J.D. Weatherspoon, at 9 p.m. on July 23 at the Covelli Center. The winner will then play either No. 8 seed Men of Mackey (Purdue alumni) or No. 9 seed Ballinteers (Tennessee alumni) in the second round at 4 p.m. on July 25.
Other teams in the Columbus Regional include the Dayton alumni team, Red Scare, and the Xavier alumni team, Zip ‘Em Up, which enter the tournament as the No. 2 and No. 3 seed, respectively, as well as The Money Team, which is backed by legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather.
This marks the fifth tournament appearance for Carmen’s Crew, which was originally known as Scarlet & Gray. The team won the championship and the $2 million prize in 2019 but lost in the first round of last year’s event despite being a No. 1 seed and the entire tournament being played in a bubble at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena due to the pandemic.
Former Ohio State players on this year’s roster include William Buford (2008-12), Aaron Craft (2010-14), Jon Diebler (2007-11), David Lighty (2006-11), Evan Ravenel (2011-13), Shannon Scott (2011-15), Lenzelle Smith Jr. (2010-14), Kaleb Wesson (2017-20) and Keyshawn Woods (2018-19). Meanwhile, Jared Sullinger (2010-12) and Dallas Lauderdale (2007-11) will serve as the head coach and assistant coach, respectively.
The Columbus Regional will be held on July 23-27, with the top two teams advancing to tournament play at the University of Dayton Arena, which will host the quarterfinals, semifinals and $1 million championship game on July 31-Aug. 3.
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