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The Basketball Tournament has solidified itself as a summer staple for hardcore basketball fans, and the first two rounds delivered as always. This year’s Midwest region features a lot of popular faces and alumni from some of college basketball’s most well-known programs.
Some of the teams are loaded with some of our favorite stars from our beloved mid-majors. Here’s what you missed from the action this weekend in the Midwest region.
Jimmer Fredette is still getting buckets
TBT was made for Jimmer. The former BYU star carried the No. 2 seed Team Fredette to the Sweet 16 with a pair of high-scoring games. In their opening round game against Peoria All-Stars, Jimmer poured in 32 points that included some shots from obnoxiously deep. Montel James, a Loyola Chicago alum before the Sister Jean era, had 28 points and 12 rebounds for Peoria. The game featured 12 ties and eight lead changes, but resulted in an 88-80 win for Team Fredette.
This shot is just rude.
Jimmer Fredette still got RANGE pic.twitter.com/eeKsh7whLm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 21, 2018
In their second round game, Jimmer poured in another 30 points to lead the charge against the No. 10 seed Jackson TN Underdawgs. As a team, Team Fredette knocked in 22-24 from the free throw line, and earned a 99-89 win as a result.
Team Fredette will play No. 6 seed Fort Wayne Champs at 7 ET on Friday.
Always a Brave blows double digit lead
Bradley fans, close your eyes. The dreaded 5-12 games aren’t just limited to the NCAA Tournament. At one point, Always a Brave had an 18-point lead in the second half thanks to a 9-0 run out of the break. The Bradley alumni squad took a 52-37 lead into the fourth quarter. Then chaos struck.
This game was the perfect example of why the Elam Ending is so exciting. The target score was 66, and Always a Brave held a 60-55 lead in the fourth quarter. Primetime Players roared back, and reached the target score first to cap off a 31-12 fourth quarter margin. The onslaught was enough to give Primetime Players a 68-64 win, knocking out the No. 5 seed and moving onto the second round.