Nasty Nati Falls Flat 68-66 in Opening Round Loss of The Basketball Tournament

Cincinnati entered as the No. 1 seed in the region.

Cincinnati Bearcats mascot waives the flag in the first half of the NCAA basketball game between Cincinnati Bearcats and UCF Knights at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

CINCINNATI — One and done for Nasty Nati.

The shorthanded team faced a similarly shorthanded AboutBillions squad for most of their opening game in The Basketball Tournament but fell 68-66.

Jarron Cumberland (16 points, 4-21 from the field) was a shell of himself after averaging over 20 points per game in the 2023 TBT. Meanwhile, fellow UC alum Trevor Moore (23 points, 8-13 shooting) was efficient enough to pull the upset for his team in a slop fest.

Nasty Nati entered the game with just six players and got Troy Caupain in the fold early in the first half, but then hotter heads prevailed. Forward Mamoudou Diarra (7 points, 3-4 from the field) threw a punch during a brawl in the first half that got him ejected, along with the entire AboutBillions bench.

The playing field then equaled at six players apiece, but Nati couldn't get any offensive rhythm going during a 22-60 night from the floor. Octavius Ellis and Deshaun Morman killed them all night long on both ends with bad fouls and horrible shooting (4-16 from the field combined).

Nati forced 19 turnovers but had no reliable outside shooter to round out the offense (2-15 from deep). All in all, both home teams massively disappointed in the first regional at Fifth Third Arena, as Zip Em' Up fell to Takeover BC 91-75.

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