Former mid-majors see $2 million dream end in The Basketball Tournament semifinals

Overseas Elite and Team Colorado each advanced to the finals of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday, ending the $2 million dreams of over a dozen former mid-major players.

Team Colorado 78 Always A Brave 70

In the first semifinal, the Colorado alumni defeated the Bradley alumni in a game that was close throughout. Always A Brave, comprised mainly of members from Bradley’s 2006 Sweet 16 team, scored the first seven points of the game, but Daniel Ruffin went down early with an apparent Achilles injury. From there, Team Colorado came roaring back to take a four-point lead into the locker room.

That lead held for much of the second half, due to Team Colorado’s tough defense and timely shooting. While Always A Brave struggled to get a shot off, Team Colorado made six of 11 three-point opportunities in the second half.

Jeremy Crouch came off the bench to score 16 points and lead Always A Brave. Tony Bennett (13 points, eight rebounds) and Will Franklin (10 points, six rebounds, six assists) joined Crouch in double figures.

To the probable relief of many Bradley fans, several members of Always A Brave confirmed they were interested in returning next year, with more than just Cinderella hopes in mind.

Overseas Elite 103 City of Gods 92

For a while, it looked like the defending champs were about to suffer their first-ever loss in The Tournament. Former George Washington Colonial Lasan Kromah was unstoppable in the early minutes as he led City of Gods to an early 15-point lead with 3:08 to go in the first half.

By halftime, the score was tied.

Former Arizona point guard Kyle Fogg scored 15 points in the final three minutes of the half as Overseas Elite knotted the score at 48. And that was just the beginning of a 50-14 run that erased any doubt of last year’s winners getting to play for the title again.

In total, Fogg scored 42 points on 7-8 three-point shooting and 12-16 shooting overall. His performance overshadowed former St. John’s standout DJ Kennedy’s 21-point, 11-rebound performance.

Kromah led City of Gods with 22 points, but was far less dominant after the opening 10 minutes. Fellow Colonial Pops Mensah-Bonsu had 10 points as well.

Overseas Elite and Team Colorado will meet Tuesday night at Fordham University with $2 million on the line. The game will tip at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN.