NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 24 teams in 2020 “The Basketball Tournament”
By Max Marmitt
19. The Basketball Tournament power rankings – Sideline Cancer
Actual Ranking: #22 – First Round Matchup: #11 Team Hines on July 5th
Playing for an amazing cause of fighting against Pancreatic Cancer, Sideline Cancer is a great representative of what the TBT is all about. Their TBT run last year was definitely one of the most impressive of the tournament. Playing against the Kansas alumni team in the first round, a legitimate championship contender, Sideline Cancer silenced thousands of loud Kansas fans in their home state during a statement 24-point win, dominating on offense and defense.
As if that draw was tough enough, they had to play a literal away game against the Wichita state alumni team on their home court Charles Koch Arena. Sideline Cancer defeated another championship contender in front of the Wichita State fans setting the record for the largest crowd in TBT history. Playing since 2014, Sideline Cancer has seven years of TBT experience. While they have won six different TBT games, it was last year’s team that was constructed as by far their best team with new additions to the roster.
As mentioned previously, Indiana alum Maurice Creek and former Xavier basketball star Remy Abell led this team last year but they certainly weren’t the only contributors on this squad. Santa Clara alum Raymond Cowels III stepped up for this team last year and can score at a high level any given night. Former Central Michigan star Marcus Keene is one of the most underrated recent college basketball players as he led the NCAA in scoring at 30 points per game.
The frontcourt wasn’t bad last year but new addition Jamel Artis was a huge get for this team. The former Pittsburg star averaged more 18.2 points his senior year while being a force on both ends. He played well in his 15 games with the Orlando Magic (including 1 start) and also signed a brief contract with the New York Knicks. This team has a tough draw against Team Hines, but they are an even better team this year and proved they can’t be counted out.
Somewhat unrelated to basketball, I want to give a shoutout to General Manager Billy Clapper and Team Booster Cathy Griffith. They deserve a ton of credit for the work they do to raise awareness and fight pancreatic cancer, not just during the TBT, but the entire year.