West Virginia and Wichita State are back in the Final Four. Well, a different type of Final Four.
The Mountaineers’ alumni team, Best Virginia, and the Shockers’ alumni team, Aftershocks, are both set to compete in the semifinal round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT). Best Virginia will take on Eberlein Drive (6 p.m. ET Thursday on FS1 and the FOX Sports app) before the Afterschocks take on We Are D3 (8 p.m. ET Thursday on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
Here’s what you need to know about each matchup!
Best Virginia vs. Eberlein Drive
Best Virginia is led by guard James Reese V, who actually isn’t a West Virginia alum. Reese, who played college hoops at North Texas and South Carolina, has been one of the top scorers in TBT. His 22.3 points per game is the eighth-best mark among players who’ve played at least two games in the tournament. He’s also shooting an efficient 44.3% from the field and 35.9% from deep, adding five rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Power forward Vincent Mitchell is Best Virginia’s second-leading scorer, adding 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Guard Jarrod West leads the team in assists per game (3.3), while power forward JD Weatherspoon is its leading rebounder (6.8 per game).
Eberlein Drive is back in the TBT semifinals for a second straight year. It also has one of the tournament’s leading scorers, with guard Gabe York ranking 11th in points per game (19.5) among players who’ve played in at least two games. He’s had two 23-point performances so far in the tournament, including in Eberlein Drive’s 88-75 win over Sideline Cancer in the quarterfinals.
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Eberlein Drive celebrates after its upset win over Kentucky’s alumni team, La Familaia.
Unlike Best Virginia, Eberlein Drive isn’t associated with any program. York played his college hoops at Arizona, while Eberlein Drive’s second-leading scorer, guard Anthony Clemmons, is an Iowa alum. He’s averaging 12.5 points per game.
Eberlein Drive has also had a handful of players make contributions in TBT. Guard Terrell Brown leads the team in assists (3.3) and steals per game (2.3). Guard Tommy Rutherford and forward Terry Taylor, meanwhile, each lead the team in rebounds per game (6.0).
Aftershocks vs. We Are D3
Similar to Best Virginia, the Aftershocks’ leading scorer isn’t a Wichita State alum, either. Guard Nike Sibande, who played at Miami (Ohio) and Pitt, leads the way in scoring for the Aftershocks, putting up 14.5 points per game. He’s also put up highly efficient shooting numbers, making 63.3% of his field goal attempts and 64.3% of his 3-point attempts.
Where the Aftershocks have really stood out in this tournament, though, is on the defensive end. They’re second in points allowed per game (62.5) among teams who have played at least two games in the tournament. Furthermore, their opponents have shot just 39.8% from the field and 25.9% from deep. That’s elite.
Beyond Sibande, Marcus Keene (12.5 points per game) and Chevez Goodwin (5.5 points, 6.0 rebounds per game) are among the other top contributors for the Aftershocks.
As for We Are D3, their roster mostly consists of players who didn’t play Division I hoops, hence the name. But that hasn’t stopped them from making a run in TBT. Guard Ty Nichols, a Keene State College alum, has played with D-I pedigree this tournament, averaging 23.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. His 36-point outing helped We Are D3 take down Buddy Boeheim and Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse alums) in the second round.
We Are D3 has made a Cinderella-like run in TBT.
Marcus Azor, a UMass Dartmouth alum, is averaging 14.8 points per game, putting up 22 points in We Are D3’s third-round win over the Stars of Storrs (UConn alums).
The dynamic scoring from We Are D3’s backcourt has led to the team averaging 81.3 points per game, which is the 11th-best mark in the tournament. As We Are D3 goes head-to-head with the Aftershocks’ elite defense, Thursday’s matchup is a true battle of styles.
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