The Ultimate Hoops National Tournament tour bus is heading out east this week to NYC.

 

The last two open National Title games have been some epic battles coming down to the wire. The competition is getting deeper across the country, and I see 6 teams that can potentially contend for the crown this week against defending champion Ball So Hard.

 

So who will be the king of the hill for the final 2024 open tournament of the year?  Here are my thoughts on how it’s going to play out this weekend in NYC.

 

1.        Ball So Hard (AZ) -500

Sources have confirmed DMac, Curtis Millage, and Cullen Russo will not be making the trip out east this weekend. Will the addition of Mike Bibby lite and Mason Johnson be enough to defend their title? I’m not so sure.  Their last 2 titles have been decided by less than 5 points and the roster is not getting much younger. The reign will eventually end but when?

 

2.        CTE (MD) -250

Yes that’s right, I am predicting a rematch from the Vegas title game. CTE basically has home court advantage being only 3.5 hours away and can literally bring anyone they want from their stacked 16 team league. I saw enough in Vegas to say they are the 2nd best team in the Ultimate Hoops universe right now. Oh yeah and they added Zach Andrews too.

 

3.        Dream Team (GA) +200

Sources have told me this roster is not as young and talented as last year’s runner up team. But this team is always a lock for the final 4 and experience still matters last time I checked. Height also matters in basketball and this team has a lot of it.

 

4.        PTB Baseline (TX) +300

Marcus Hall is a walking bucket. And now we are teaming him up with the best players from Baseline?  Sounds like a recipe for success. The loss of Jvon McCormick and his 360 windmill double pump off the bounce dunks will be sorely missed. Excited to see the Corporate Hooper finally get a chance to play on a contending team. Imagine losing every game at Nationals and winning the whole dam thing. Now that’s a story I can get behind.

 

5.        FMB (NY) +700

Going from the waitlist to 5th in my rankings is pretty aggressive eh? They did go 3-1 last year and just added a 6-11 dude. They also live within 2 hours from the facility and have like 26 guys on the roster with every one of them standing over 6 feet tall. Tunde, Spencer, and Garfield are as tough as it gets for starting backcourts.

 

6.        Ultimate Oops (TX) +1000

Multiple team sources have confirmed their best player just got signed overseas and will not be making the trip unfortunately. This is their 4th appearance in the NYC tournament and coming off a disappointing 1-2 showing last year will have these guys fired up to prove themselves again. I don’t think these guys have lost a Dallas title in the last 10 years from what I seen and still hold the title as the only team to have ever beaten Ball So Hard in NY. They move the ball as well as any team in the country and I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if they advanced to the final 4 this year.

 

7.        Da Guys (MO) +1500

Just sitting here being a keyboard warrior and doing my best to piss these guys off again with this horrendous low ranking haha. The last time I had them this low they hit a half court miracle shot in Vegas to advance to Sunday and made me eat my words. The return of point guard Jordan Anderson will help but I think it’s going to be an uphill battle for them this time around. Although I can’t wait to see what they have in store for their youtube page as Da Guys take NY for the first time!

8.        Nor Cal Buckets (CA) +1600

I’ve had to make more changes to this roster this week than Leonardo DiCaprio has made with his women in his life time. I don’t blame them as New York is literally across the entire continent for them. With that being said I don’t think former NBA wing Kent Bazemore is going to make the trip. However if Kent walks through that door with Steph Curry like he did this summer in Folsom, all bets are off and I take back everything I just said.

 

9.        Trust the Process (NJ) +2000

I would probably trust the process more if I knew who these guys were? I know Jabree Jackson can go but not having a player standing over 6-5 makes them probably the smallest team in the tournament.  I know size isn’t everything but sometimes it is.  Excited to see what these Jersey boys can do.

 

10.  Motivation (MA) +2500

Arinze Obiora is a beast but team Motivation have yet to post a record above 500 this decade in National Tournament play. Is that going to change in 2024?  With no significant additions to the roster I’m not sure how I see that changes this year. And just when I didn’t think I could find a smaller roster, I see their roster.  Again size isn’t everything but sometimes it just is.

Dont forget….

National Tournament After Party will be held at Magic Hour Rooftop bar at the Moxy.

Full live steam of every game will be brought to you by TOV Sports and posted in the Ultimate Hoops Facebook page.

Friday night come check out The Cage as they film their next episode at Sky Life Time

Good luck to all the teams competing this weekend in NYC! See everyone there.