Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes lead the way.
The 2025 TBT is underway and Boeheim’s Army is starting off its run in the winner-take-all tournament run on a strong note.
Over the weekend, No. 1 seed Boeheim’s Army defeated the No. 8 Herkimer Originals 97-71, guided by two strong performances from some recent Syracuse Orange men’s basketball alumni.
Coming off a red-eye flight from NBA Summer League, Buddy Boeheim led the way for Boeheim’s Army with a team-high 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, shooting 8/13 from the field and a scorching 7/9 from three.
Elijah Hughes also starred with 21 points on 8.12 shooting with 4 rebounds and 3 assists, including the three-pointer that ultimately put Boeheim’s Army over the finish line.
ELIJAH HUGHES BURIES THE TRIPLE TO GIVE BOEHEIM’S ARMY THE WIN!@BoeheimsArmy‘s 18th(!) 3 pointer of the game puts them into the Round of 32! pic.twitter.com/l0bkvDamOM
— TBT (@thetournament) July 19, 2025
Some other strong performances included a double-double (10 points and 11 assists) from Jacob Gilyard and 16 points combined off the bench for Jimmy Boeheim and Malachi Richardson. Boeheim’s Army saw most of its success come from three-point range, where the team shot 18/29 (62.1%). The team also moved the ball very successfully, with 27 assists of its 38 total baskets coming off assists.
That advantage from the perimeter was too much for the Originals to overcome, despite outscoring Boeheim’s Army by 10 in the paint and eight in points off turnovers.
Sam Sherry (18 points, 7/13 from the field, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks), Darry Moore (13 points on 4/8 shooting) and Jeremiah Sparks (10 points, 3 assists, 5 steals) led the way for the Originals.
WHAT A GAME!
Buddy Boeheim with 24 Points vs. Herkimer Originals, 07/19/2025 pic.twitter.com/0lTseFCWT0
— TBT (@thetournament) July 19, 2025
Buddy shot out of the gate with eight points in the first quarter, which Boeheim’s Army finished ahead of the Originals 27-19. Another strong second quarter saw Herkimer be held to just 13 points as Boeheim’s Army led 48-31 at halftime. Boeheim’s Army from there cruised the rest of the way, ultimately winning by 26-points.
Boeheim’s Army is back in the win column for TBT after missing the tournament last summer and will look to advance past the Round of 32, where it lost in its most recent TBT appearance in 2023. The team will now be taking on No. 4 We Are D3, which boasts a roster made up of former Division III players. We Are D3 narrowly defeated No. 5 Layne’s Hope 75-71 in the TBT Round of 64.
Tip-off between Boeheim’s Army and We Are D3 is Monday at 8 p.m. EST. That game can be seen on FS2. The winner will take on whoever advances between No. 2 Stars of Storrs and No. 3 Green Mountain Men on Wednesday.