TBT: Ryan McMahon, Red Scare advance past Big X

Seeing his first organized basketball action in four months, former Louisville men's basketball guard Ryan McMahon was up to his usual ways as he and Red Scare advanced to The Basketball Tournament quarterfinals behind a win over Big X.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forcing most organized sports leagues to take a temporary hiatus, we haven't had the chance to see a current or former Louisville Cardinal in action since mid-March.

That changed on Wednesday, as former Louisville men's basketball shooting guard Ryan McMahon took to the court with Red Scare as part of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in Columbus, OH.

TBT is a $1 million winner-take-all tournament that has seen its popularity rise in recent years after it was first established in 2014. While anyone over 18 years old and not currently on an NBA roster can play, teams more often the not consist of former collegiate and professional basketball players.

While Red Scare is a team comprised of mostly University of Dayton alumni, Louisville connections are the reasons McMahon found his way on the roster. Red Scare head coach/general manager Joey Gruden served as a graduate assistant for the Cardinals this past season, and recruited McMahon to play for him. He is also the son of former Louisville Football quarterback Jay Gruden.

TBT might have started back on July 4, but Red Scare earned the No. 8 seed as well as first round bye because of their performance in 2019 when they made the regional championship game (or the TBT equivalent of the Elite Eight).

Their first game came against ninth-seeded Big X, a team centered around former Michigan State center Nick Ward and former Michigan & Ohio State guard Andrew Dakich. Big X found themselves matching up with Red Scare after they squeaked by No. 24 D2 to the tune of 79-74 on the Fourth of July.

So how did McMahon fare in his first organized action since Mar. 7 vs. the Virginia Cavaliers?

Unsurprisingly, he took his fair share of three-pointers and had very little trouble connecting on them. Mainly in a bench role, he finished with 12 points on 4-9 shooting and 4-8 on three-point attempts. He missed his lone shot inside the arc, and also chipped in with three rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block.

Red Scare got hot late in the game, shooting 41% from beyond the arc and eventually going on to win 77-68. From UD guard Darrell Davis led the team with 15 points and four assists.

They move onto the quarterfinals, where they will play the winner of No. 1 Carmen's Crew & No. 16 House of 'Paign. Tip is scheduled for 4pm on ESPN.

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