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The old Big East is back. Sort of.

After exiting The Basketball Tournament with an 81-78 second-round defeat to We Are D3 last year, Boeheim’s Army returns to face Hall In, a group of Seton Hall alumni.

Instead of last year’s 61-team single-elimination bracket, this year’s system features 14 teams, eight alumni and six non-alumni, who start on opposite sides of the bracket.

On the alumni side, Boeheim’s Army and Hall In join six other teams, who each have a three-game series: The Ville (Louisville) and La Familia (Kentucky), Purple Reign (Kansas State) and JHX Hoops (Kansas), along with Aftershocks (Wichita State) and The Enchantment (New Mexico).

The four winners of those initial series play a single-elimination bracket to determine the alumni champion. They will play the non-alumni champion for the $2 million prize in the final at the alumni champion’s home grounds.

Here’s Boeheim’s Army’s roster before it opens its 2026 TBT campaign against Hall In on July 21 at 7 p.m.

Buddy Boeheim (played at SU from 2018-22)

After debuting for Boeheim’s Army last year, Buddy Boeheim was the first to announce his intent to return on May 21.

In 2021, Buddy helped No. 11 seed Syracuse to the Sweet 16, notching 55 points and 13 3-pointers across the first two March Madness games. He also averaged 19.2 points as a senior, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team honors.

Boeheim’s Army’s captain thrives from 3; the 6-foot-6 shooting guard finished his Syracuse career with 1,765 points and 309 3-pointers, the 13th- and second-most in school history, respectively, before going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.

He’s since spent time with the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder organizations. Buddy currently plays for the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s NBA G League affiliate.

Elijah Hughes (2017-20)

Elijah Hughes also made his Boeheim’s Army debut last summer. He similarly announced his 2026 commitment early, on June 8, becoming Boeheim’s Army’s second official player on this year’s roster.

Hughes transferred from East Carolina to Syracuse during his sophomore year and became the team’s star as an upperclassman. A jack of all trades, Hughes averaged 19 points, five rebounds and 3.4 assists as a senior. He was drafted 39th overall in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.

He played for the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, then the G League’s Wisconsin Herd and Cleveland Charge. Hughes’ most recent stop was Puerto Rico, where he spent his summer with Gigantes de Carolina.

Elijah Hughes rises to shoot a 3-pointer in Syracuse’s 97-88 loss to Duke on Feb. 1, 2020. Hughes scored 21 points in the game and joins Boeheim’s Army for the second straight year in 2026. Corey Henry | Daily Orange File Photo

Wesley Johnson (2008-10)

After transferring from Iowa State, Wesley Johnson spent one year with the Orange, 2009-10, having sat out the 2008-09 season.

Since then, he’s become a veteran at the highest level. On Boeheim’s Army, Johnson’s resume is unmatched. He was the fourth pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, spent almost a decade in the league and made 609 appearances across stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves (144), Phoenix Suns (50), Los Angeles Lakers (155), Los Angeles Clippers (222), New Orleans Pelicans (26) and Washington Wizards (12).

Jimmy Boeheim (2021-22)

Jimmy Boeheim has been a mainstay for Boeheim’s Army, as 2026 marks his fourth TBT appearance for his father’s namesake team.

He spent three years at Cornell before transferring to Syracuse for his graduate season. Jimmy averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in his lone SU campaign before going undrafted in 2022 and playing with the Motor City Cruise in the G League.

Jimmy most recently played for Oliveirense in Portugal.

Eric Devendorf (2005-09)

Five years ago, Eric Devendorf raised the nameplate above his head and slapped the massive Boeheim’s Army label above the bracket spot that read “Champion.” It didn’t stick, so five-time TBT champion D.J. Kennedy, in his first of two campaigns with Boeheim’s Army, lent a hand, securing the fabric fastener.

Boeheim’s Army hasn’t recreated that magic in years since, and Devendorf is the only piece of that 2021 TBT-winning roster on Boeheim’s Army this summer.

Devendorf scored 1,680 points across four years at Syracuse and went undrafted in 2009. He spent most of his career in the NBA D-League (now the NBA G League) and on various teams in Oceania and Europe.

Cole Swider (2021-22)

Cole Swider rejoins Buddy and Jimmy Boeheim during TBT this year. The three last played together during Syracuse’s 2021-22 season, after Swider transferred from Villanova. He started all 33 games that year, averaged 13.9 points and posted a team-best 6.8 rebounds.

After going undrafted in 2022, Swider split time between the Los Angeles Lakers and the South Bay Lakers, their G League affiliate. Swider did the same in subsequent years with the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors, before moving to Turkey’s Anadolu Efes.

Ty Nichols

Remember that 81-78 loss to We Are D3, which sent Boeheim’s Army tumbling out of TBT in last year’s second round? Ty Nichols was the sole reason behind it. He scored 36 points, while his layup at 79 points pushed We Are D3 past the Elam Ending target score of 80.

Ty Nichols paces the court during last year’s The Basketball Tournament. After playing for We Are D3 in 2025, Nichols will suit up for Boeheim’s Army in this year’s tournament. Courtesy of The Basketball Tournament

After finishing his collegiate career averaging 27.4 points per game with Keene State in 2019, Nichols went undrafted. He’s since spent most of his career in Europe, last playing for Peristeri in Greece, where he averaged 16.4 points in a team-leading 27.7 minutes per game.

In the United States, perhaps Nichols’ most recent notable achievement was his 36 points against the Syracuse alums. He was the match that lit Boeheim’s Army’s 2025 campaign up in flames, but with his allegiance switched, perhaps he’ll spark the team this summer.

JaCorey Williams

JaCorey Williams played at Arkansas from 2012-15 and Middle Tennessee in the 2016-17 season. He averaged 17.2 points and 7.3 rebounds with Middle Tennessee, helping it to the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Williams also won the 2017 Conference USA Player of the Year award.

Williams went undrafted in 2017 and has since spent most of his playing career in the G League, Europe and Asia. Last year, he played for Maroussi in Greece, averaging 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds.

Williams appeared in The Basketball Tournament in 2020 with Herd That, a group of Marshall alumni.

Tyson Walker

After transferring from Northeastern in 2021, Tyson Walker became a star at Michigan State. He scored 1,381 points across three years at MSU, including 625 in a run to the 2024 NCAA Tournament Second Round. Walker’s performances earned him an All-Big Ten Second Team selection, and he declared for the NBA Draft afterward.

Since then, Walker has spent one season with the Texas Legends of the G League and one with Melbourne United of Australia. He’ll play for France’s JL Bourg next season.

Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu

Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu started his career with NAIA basketball, but after three years with UT Arlington, he transferred to Memphis. A seasoned shot-blocker, Akobundu-Ehiogu averaged 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in the NCAA.

Akobundu-Ehiogu spent last year in Spain with Manresa, where he was the 2026 EuroCup blocks leader with 1.67 blocks per game. He has since joined the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Summer League.

Published on July 16, 2026 at 1:36 pm
Contact Peter: peterhradosh@gmail.com | @PeterRadosh