Indianapolis, IN – Two teams have their eyes on the prize in Round 3 of TBT. Only one will punch a ticket to the quarterfinals in Witicha. With $1 million up for grabs, the intensity is through the roof at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Take a look at what went down in Round 3 of TBT 2025:
No. 1 Carmen’s Crew (OSU alum) vs. No. 7 Fail Harder
While it’s true that everyone knew them as the “underdogs” going into TBT 2025, they have used that as motivation. Right off the bat, Fail Harder did exactly what guard Darius Adams said they would,
“Defense is always gonna be there. Effort, intensity, 50/50 balls… we can always rely on that,” Adams said to the press when discussing the keys to success vs. Carmen’s Crew.
And they relied on these. They didn’t hesitate to bring the energy to Hinkle Fieldhouse. Every time they would score from outside the arc or steal the ball, it seemed to fluster the players on Carmen’s Crew. Not only did the teammates have each other’s backs, but the crowd also loudly showed its support. Fail Harder had the crowd cheering “against” them during their first two games of the tournament as they faced both Indiana teams, Assembly Ball and All Good Dawgs. One way or another, however, Fail Harder was fully backed by the crowd today, and it sounded as if they were the home team.
In the first half, Fail Harder locked in from the field, shooting 45.5% (15-of-33). This represents a significant difference compared to Carmen’s Crew’s 29.4% (10 of 34). Another noteworthy statistic is the point spread of both teams in the first half. Fail Harder recorded 15 points from the bench while Carmen’s Crew ended the half with 7 points. As both teams left for the locker room, the underdogs led 38-19.
The lead scorer was Fail Harder’s forward Joshua Price with 9 points. Following this, teammates Djimon Henson and Adams each had 7 points. The highest scorer at half for the OSU alum was guard Chris Crawford with just 4 points.
To start the second half, Carmen’s Crew picked up their energy a bit. They showed more aggression on the court, as well as a faster pace of play. They had the first four scoring possessions, which cut the margin of victory (19 to start the 3rd quarter) in half. Fail Harder quickly countered this, however, with a couple of successful free throws by Henson as well as a tip-in from Declan Tchoua. Throughout the 3rd quarter, the point spread flowed between 12 and 7. Fail Harder, not giving up their lead nor scoring enough to pull away.
Eric Neal was coming in clutch for Carmen’s Crew on offense. In his 9 minutes in the first half, he recorded 0 points. In just the third quarter, he put up 13 points. Even so, the numbers were flowing as well for his teammates.
The narrative for the first half of the 4th quarter remained the same. Both teams had an answer for each other’s buckets. While this is true, Fail Harder played with a unique edge to them that gave them a boost, increasing the victory gap from wavering between 10 and 12 to 14 and 16.
Once the ELAM ending started, the target was 69 points. The score was 60-46, Fail Harder leading by 14. What should have been a simple ending played out very differently. Just as Fail Harder was 2 points away from defeating the defending champs, Carmen’s Crew refused to go down without a fight. The underdogs had 66 points for what seemed like forever. Carmen’s Crew managed to tighten the score margin from 14 to 4. Fail Harder just couldn’t seem to capitalize on any shot. The crowd was electric with anticipation. With a jumpshot from Adams, the game was over. They had done what everyone thought was impossible. The final score was 68-62. Fail Harder not only took down Carmen’s Crew, but also Assembly Ball and All Good Dawgs, all games in which they were significantly favored to lose.
Up Next
No. 7 Fail Harder will travel to Witicha to play in the quarterfinals on July 27th at 7 p.m. They will play the winner of No. 4 We Are D3 vs. No. 2 Stars of Storrs (UConn alum).