Ohio State fans uninterested in TBT as Carmen’s Crew had only one Buckeye alum

The “Ohio State Alumni Team” had just one Ohio State alumni on the roster this year.

Carmen’s Crew — the Ohio State alumni team that has competed in The Basketball Tournament for eight of the last nine years — returned to defend their 2024 title this month, coming up short and finishing in the Sweet Sixteen of the winner-take-all tournament.

As the No. 1 seed in the Indianapolis region, the two-time champions defeated the Go Time Green Machine in the first round and the Fort Wayne Champs in the second round to advance to the regional championship against Fail Harder, a team organized by former Virginia guard Kyle Guy and coached by former Ohio State guard CJ Walker.

Carmen’s Crew fell behind by double-digits early and lost to Fail Harder, 68-62, to end their title defense in the Sweet Sixteen.

Even if you’re someone who follows the Ohio State men’s basketball program religiously, it’s possible that this is the first time you’re hearing about this. TBT 2025 is down to its final four teams, the Ohio State alumni team is done playing, and it seems that a large portion of the fanbase didn’t even notice.

To be blunt: Ohio State fans do not care about TBT or Carmen’s Crew anymore.

There has been a gradual slide over the years, with the first few Ohio State alumni teams including fan favorites like Aaron Craft, William Buford, Jared Sullinger, Jon Diebler and David Lighty, as well as other former Buckeyes fans were fond of and familiar with, like Kosta Koufos, Lenzelle Smith Jr., and LaQuinton Ross, to name a few.

That connection to the “golden age” of Ohio State basketball is what fired up Ohio State fans for The Basketball Tournament every summer since 2017. Buckeye fans wanted to see their favorite players win TBT, but more importantly, they just loved seeing their favorite Ohio State alums wearing the scarlet and gray again, regardless of the results.

As time has gone on, fewer and fewer former players have committed to playing in The Basketball Tournament, with some Chris Holtmann-era players beginning to replace Thad Matta-era players.

Last year, Jared Sullinger played alongside Andre Wesson, Kaleb Wesson, Keyshawn Woods, and Kyle Young. That group was flanked by a handful of Ohio State — adjacent players, such as Scott Thomas (from Ashley, Ohio and Bowling Green), Jamel Morris (Gahanna, Ohio and Fairmont State), and Jeff Gibbs (Columbus, Ohio and Otterbein). That group played itself to a TBT Championship.

This year, however, only four Ohio State alumni were announced as part of the team: William Buford, Kaleb Wesson, Trevor Thompson, and Keyshawn Woods. Of the four, only Woods — who transferred to Ohio State in 2018 and played one season for the Buckeyes — actually ended up playing.

Neither Buford, Wesson, nor Thompson were in attendance, although all three are still listed online as part of the 2025 roster. It was the smallest number of Buckeyes on the team since Carmen’s Crew was founded in 2017 as “The Scarlet and Gray.”

After the 68-62 loss bounced Carmen’s Crew from TBT last week, the team account tweeted out a team picture with the caption: “Always a BLAST getting to hoop in TBT! We’ll be back! Stay tuned.”

However, the replies from accounts that I presume are Ohio State fans (why else would they be following the Carmen’s Crew on Twitter?) were less than enthusiastic:

Generally, my rule when it comes to dipping my toes into the Twitter replies is to not interact or take anyone seriously who does not use their real name or a real picture of themselves in their profile.

However, these accounts replying to Carmen’s Crew don’t come off as trolls or bots — they seem like real people who want to be interested in The Basketball Tournament, but are struggling to feel connected to an Ohio State “alumni” team that had one combined season of Ohio State basketball on the roster this season.

Carmen’s Crew is stuck at a crossroads, and there’s a real possibility that we’ve seen the last of the Ohio State alumni team playing in The Basketball Tournament. Carmen’s Crew as we know it may run it back next year, but the fan interest won’t revive if former Buckeyes that they feel connected to don’t start participating again.

The issue, in my opinion, is that the team is stuck in between two eras of Ohio State players — one group (“Thad’s boys”) is retiring from basketball and aging out of this tournament, and another group (the “Holtmann guys”) who are still playing overseas, trying to keep their NBA careers alive, or trying to make the jump from the G-League to the NBA.

Guys like Buford, Craft, Lighty, and Diebler are done playing in TBT. They’re all in their mid to late 30s and have moved on to other things, like coaching, being doctors, or making up for lost time with their families.

On the other hand, former Buckeyes like E.J. Liddell, Duane Washington, and Keita Bates-Diop — all of whom fans have asked to play in TBT at one point or another — are all still within reasonable reach of the NBA, and are unlikely to take any health risks by playing in TBT with contracts hanging in the balance.

With the “old guard” moving on and aging out, it will be up to this fresher, more recent wave of Buckeye basketball players to keep Carmen’s Crew alive moving forward, but based on recent participation, it’s hard to envision that happening.

Maybe they’re not considered “program legends,” but a lineup comprised of CJ Jackson, Duane Washington, Keyshawn Woods, Keita Bates-Diop, and Kaleb Wesson, with Justin Ahrens, Zed Key, and Justice Sueing coming off the bench, would be exciting for fans.

A few may cling to the hope that program legends from nearly two decades ago return, but most would be proud to buy tickets and cheer on former Buckeyes who have decided to represent the scarlet and gray once more.

The team needs some juice, and that juice needs to come from players the fans already love.