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JHX Hoops Faces Defending Champion AfterShocks in TBT Quarterfinals
JHX Hoops has reached uncharted territory in The Basketball Tournament and now faces its toughest challenge yet.
The Kansas alumni team advanced to the TBT quarterfinals for the first time in program history after rallying to eliminate Kansas State alumni team Purple Reign in a best-of-three opening-round series. JHX Hoops dropped Game 1 before winning back-to-back comeback victories, including Friday's 62-55 triumph at Bramlage Coliseum.
The reward is a quarterfinal matchup against defending TBT champion AfterShocks, the Wichita State alumni team, on Monday at 8 p.m. at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita. The game will be televised on FS1.
The matchup marks the first meeting between the longtime regional rivals in TBT despite both teams regularly appearing in the same side of the tournament bracket.
JHX Hoops has leaned on late-game execution during its tournament run. The Jayhawks erased double-digit deficits in each of their final two games against Purple Reign before closing both contests with strong performances during the Elam Ending, the tournament's untimed finish in which teams play to a target score.
Former Kansas guard Frank Mason III delivered the game-winning basket in each of the last two victories, while Zeke Mayo scored a game-high 25 points in Friday's series-clinching win.
AfterShocks enter the matchup as the tournament's defending champions after rallying past New Mexico alumni team The Enchantment in their own three-game series. Former Central Michigan standout Markus Keene, last year's TBT Most Valuable Player, leads Wichita State's roster after averaging 23 points in Friday's deciding game.
The defending champions also feature QJ Peterson, Rashard Kelly, Markis McDuffie, Trey Wade and former Kansas guard Conner Frankamp, giving AfterShocks one of the tournament's deepest and most experienced rosters.
The winner will advance to Wednesday's semifinals against either Kentucky alumni team La Familia or Syracuse alumni team Boeheim's Army.
For JHX Hoops, Monday presents an opportunity to continue the deepest tournament run in team history while knocking off the reigning champions on their home floor.
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