Assembly Ball, Indiana’s alumni team, and the Men of Mackey, a Purdue-based team, will match up in the Round of 32 in The Basketball Tournament on Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – One of college basketball’s most anticipated rivalries will be rekindled on Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, albeit in an unconventional setting.
Although it won’t count toward the all-time series record and will feature several players from other schools, Sunday’s Round of 32 matchup in The Basketball Tournament will closely resemble an Indiana versus Purdue basketball showdown in July.
The No. 1 seed, Assembly Ball – a team with eight former Hoosiers and six players from various other programs – will face the No. 4 seed, Men of Mackey, Purdue’s alumni team, on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.
Assembly Ball advanced by defeating a Valparaiso-based team, No. 8 seed The Cru, 89-79 on Friday, led by Yogi Ferrell’s 27 points. Earlier, Men of Mackey triumphed over No. 5 seed Fort Wayne Champs 75-63, with Eric Hunter Jr. scoring 13 points.
Hunter, a key player for Men of Mackey, is one of five former Boilermakers on the roster, complemented by seven players from other schools, including two from Purdue Fort Wayne. Hunter played for Purdue coach Matt Painter from 2018-22, earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive team, and concluded his college career with a season at Butler, making this a homecoming for the Tindley Prep graduate.
In the backcourt, Hunter is joined by former Purdue guards Jon Octeus (2014-15), David Jenkins Jr. (2022-23), Kelsey Barlow (2009-12), and Sasha Stefanovic (2018-22). Jenkins and Barlow have Big Ten regular season titles from 2023 and 2010, respectively, while Stefanovic made an Elite Eight run with the 2018-19 Boilermakers.
Does the rivalry aspect of Sunday’s matchup create more excitement?
“Probably for them,” said Assembly Ball forward Juwan Morgan, who posted 12 points and 10 rebounds on Friday. “For us, it’s just another game. We’re going to keep trying to win. Like we said today, we just have to go 1-0 six times, and they’re just in the way right now.”
Morgan bridges the gap between eras of Indiana basketball on this Assembly Ball roster. As a freshman, he played on the 2015-16 Big Ten championship team with Yogi Ferrell and Troy Williams and later played with Devonte Green and Race Thompson.
Building team chemistry and learning the team’s play style has been a quick process, but Morgan said it felt like being back in college. Assembly Ball spent a few days before The Basketball Tournament training at Indiana’s campus in Bloomington, where Morgan enjoyed seeing improvements to the Cook Hall practice facility and Assembly Hall. He’s optimistic about the team’s chances at the $1 million prize.
“I feel great,” Morgan said Friday night. “As you can see, it’s a lot of our first time playing together. There’s some blending of generations … and then the other guys who have played in TBT before are just kind of integrating with us. Overall, I think we have as great a chance as anybody.”
Former Hoosiers Jordan Hulls, Miller Kopp, Troy Williams, and Noah Vonleh are listed on Assembly Ball’s roster but didn’t play on Friday. Hulls attended the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame induction, and Kopp had an NBA Summer League game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Depending on summer league results, Kopp could join Assembly Ball for Sunday’s game.
Julian Gamble, who attended Miami from 2008-13 and has had a 10-year professional career overseas, played a key role in Assembly Ball’s Round of 64 win. The 6-foot-10 center scored 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. Having played in The Basketball Tournament seven times, Gamble was impressed by the fan turnout in support of Assembly Ball.
“Incredible,” Gamble said of the Indiana fans. “When we got here around six, it was all red in the gym. I almost forgot we were at Butler, but even being an hour away, all these fans came out to support these guys. Hearing the noise coming out of the tunnel gives you that college feel again.”
“Even as a non-IU guy, I’m happy for them. I can only imagine what it feels like to play back in front of your fans and see a lot of old, familiar faces. What better place to do it than a tournament with a chance to win $1 million.”
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