Carmen's Crew

Lore & Background

The team began in 2017 as Scarlet & Gray, earning a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region. In 2018, they were the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. For TBT 2019, the team adopted the Carmen's Crew name and were the No. 1 seed in the Columbus Regional. In 2020, the defending champions were the No. 1 overall seed in a reduced field of 24 teams. In 2021, they were seeded No. 1 in the Columbus Regional. In 2022, the team announced they couldn't get enough players for TBT 2022. For TBT 2023, they were seeded No. 4 in the Dayton Regional. In 2024, they were seeded No. 3 in the Dayton Regional and won their second title. For the 2025 tournament, they were seeded No. 1 in the Indianapolis Regional.

Reader's Guide

As of 2024, 36 total players have played for the team, 20 of which are Ohio State alumni. Notable players include Aaron Craft, William Buford, Jon Diebler, David Lighty, Evan Ravenel, Jared Sullinger, and Kaleb Wesson, among others.

Did You Know?

• The team won TBT championships in 2019 and 2024.
• The team was originally named Scarlet & Gray before adopting the name Carmen's Crew in 2019.
• The team did not compete in TBT 2022 due to an inability to get enough players.

Origins & Identity

Carmen's Crew is an American basketball team built around a deep connection to Ohio State University. The squad first entered The Basketball Tournament in 2017 under the name Scarlet & Gray, a direct nod to the Buckeyes' traditional team colors. That identity carried through the 2018 season before the group rebranded in 2019, choosing a name drawn from Ohio State's beloved school song, "Carmen Ohio." This shift signaled a move from a simple color reference to something more personal and spirited. The team operates as a fully independent entity, separate from the university itself, yet its roster is overwhelmingly composed of players who competed in college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's team. Most of its members are professional players competing outside the NBA, giving the squad a distinct identity rooted in Big Ten basketball tradition while competing on a winner-take-all, single-elimination stage.

Tournament Journey & Championships

Carmen's Crew has been a consistent presence in The Basketball Tournament since their 2017 debut, competing in every edition except 2022. Their seeding has shifted across different regional brackets — the Midwest Region in their first two years, Columbus Regional in 2019 and 2021, Dayton Regional in 2023 and 2024, and Indianapolis Regional in 2025. The team earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2020 edition, a reduced field of just 24 teams, as defending champions. Their crowning achievements came in 2019, when they captured their first TBT title, and again in 2024, when they claimed a second championship after entering as the No. 3 seed in the Dayton Regional. The 2022 absence, announced due to an inability to gather enough players, made the 2024 title all the more notable as a testament to the group's resilience and commitment to returning to the tournament stage.

Roster & the Ohio State Connection

As of 2024, thirty-six players have suited up for Carmen's Crew, and twenty of them are Ohio State alumni — a clear reflection of the team's foundational identity. The roster has featured recognizable names from the Buckeyes' program, including Greg Oden, Kosta Koufos, and Jared Sullinger, alongside multi-season veterans like William Buford, Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, David Lighty, and Evan Ravenel, each of whom appeared in five or more tournament seasons. Beyond Ohio State, the team has drawn talent from a wide range of programs: Penn State, Saint Louis, East Tennessee State, Washington, Otterbein, Miami (OH), Illinois, Bowling Green, Fairmont State, UT Arlington, Northern Illinois, Arkansas, and Cincinnati. This blend of a strong Ohio State core with complementary players from across the country has given the squad both continuity and flexibility in a single-elimination format where one bad night ends a season.

Longevity & Resilience

Spanning from 2017 through 2025, Carmen's Crew has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to The Basketball Tournament despite the inherent instability of an independent, non-NBA roster. The team weathered a complete absence in 2022, when they publicly announced they could not assemble enough players to field a competitive squad. Yet they returned in 2023 as the No. 4 seed in the Dayton Regional and followed that with a championship run in 2024. Their 2025 participation as the No. 1 seed in the Indianapolis Regional shows the group continuing to evolve. The presence of players like Buford, Craft, Diebler, Lighty, and Ravenel — all of whom competed in at least five separate TBT seasons — speaks to a culture of loyalty and shared purpose. For a team of professionals playing outside the NBA, the willingness to regroup, rebrand, and compete year after year in a winner-take-all bracket underscores a dedication that goes well beyond a single tournament appearance.