3 thoughts as The Basketball Tournament continues for Mass Street, Kansas' alumni team

LAWRENCE — KU men’s basketball’s alumni team, Mass Street, needed to forge a comeback to advance past the opening round of The Basketball Tournament.

Mass Street, which topped We are D3 on Wednesday in Wichita, won 70-67 after trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters. It clinched the victory on a game-winning bucket by Thomas Robinson. And now Jayhawks faithful have another opportunity to see their squad play, at 3 p.m. Saturday in Wichita, against Show Me Squad — which features alumni from the rival Missouri Tigers.

Before that Mass Street and Show Me Squad matchup, here are a few things to think about:

Thomas Robinson was impressive

Robinson wasn’t the only Mass Street player to put up a quality stat-line. Keith Langford had 15 points and five rebounds, while Mario Little had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists. But no one, on either side, matched his 21-point and 15-rebound double-double.

Robinson did have six turnovers, which means he had that unfortunate high, as well, but Mass Street is fortunate to have him. It didn’t have its full compliment of players available against We are D3. Mass Street also struggled to hit 3s, which means an inside presence like Robinson becomes all the more valuable if that isn’t going to change.

Show Me Squad is coming off of a win against Vegas Rebellion

Show Me Squad opened its TBT experience with a 96-90 victory against Vegas Rebellion, which features former UNLV players. It advanced, in part, because Erick Neal (24 points), Isiaih Mosley (23 points) and Jontay Porter (21 points) were all able to score more than 20 points. Porter actually came away with a 21-point and 15-rebound double-double of his own.

Whichever side wins will advance to the third round of the TBT and play a game that’s scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. Sunday in Wichita. The quarterfinals follow Tuesday, with a game scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. in Wichita.

Each victory brings a team closer to claiming the 64-team TBT tournament’s $1 million prize.

Mass Street has a meet and great with fans Friday

If any Mass Street fans are in Wichita on Friday, they’ll have the opportunity to enjoy a meet and greet with the team that’ll include autographs and pictures. It’ll go from 6-8 p.m. at the Chicken N Pickle location in Wichita, which is at 1240 N. Greenwich Road. And there’s a $20 charge per person at the door.

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: The Basketball Tournament: Mass Street, KU's alumni team, advances