5. The Basketball Tournament power rankings – Eberlein Drive
Actual Ranking: #5 – Round of 16 Matchup: Winner of Team Brotherly Love/Stillwater Stars (Oklahoma State alumni) on July 6th
Where do we start with the never-ending talent on this team? LSU has three former stars on the roster, including Johnny O’Bryant III and Tim Quarterman, both guys with NBA experience (O’Bryant III played in the NBA from 2014-2018). Emmitt Williams declared for the NBA draft after his sophomore season this year and will be another guy in the tournament using the TBT as an NBA audition. Williams could add to the list of five guys already on this roster with NBA experience.
Dusty Hannahs thrived at Arkansas a couple years ago and as Fran Fraschilla said, “he’s just a hair away” from being back in the NBA. Two Xavier alums Kaiser Gates and JP Macura have been added to this year’s roster as well. JP Macura was like the Grayson Allen of the Big East in his college days.
The Xavier star wore his emotions on his sleeve, and backed up his constant trash talk with impressive play on the court, making him one of those guys you love to have on your team but really hate if he’s not. The heart and soul of a Xavier team that was an NCAA tournament 1 seed in NBA, he has brief NBA experience with the Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Josh Magette was a former Division 2 star at University of Alabama-Huntsville, and he eventually made the NBA, playing for the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. He’s a gifted point guard who really makes his teammates better.
While former California star Jerome Randle won’t be able to provide the TBT heroics he had in 2018 due to injury, Eberlein Drive can certainly get back to the championship game like they did that same year. This roster is pretty different from the other 6 years this team has played in the TBT, but the talent has vastly improved.