Indiana men’s basketball alumni team Assembly Ball fell to Fail Harder in the first round of The Basketball Tournament Saturday. Organized by former University of Virginia star Kyle Guy, Fail Harder is the #7 seed in the Indianapolis regional hosted at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Assembly Ball entered the tournament as the #2 seed in the region.
TBT is an annual 64-team single elimination basketball tournament in the style of the NCAA Tournament. Since its inception in 2014, TBT’s open tournament format has attracted many alumni teams to compete for its winner take all $1 million prize.
In 2018, TBT officially adopted the Elam Ending, also known as target score. Instead of ending the game when the clock hits zero, TBT shuts off the clock at the first dead ball with four minutes or less in the fourth quarter. At this point, the target score is set at eight points higher than the current winning team’s score, and the game ends when one team reaches the target.
2024 Assembly Ball standout Yogi Ferrell (2012-16) and new addition James Blackmon Jr. (2014-17) were ruled out of the game with injuries, leaving the team shorthanded.
Despite high expectations following their 2024 run to the regional finals, Assembly Ball couldn’t overcome the injuries.
Former Hoosier Aljami Durham (2017-21) started hot and led Assembly Ball with 23 points, and QJ Peterson (Virginia Military Institute) scored 20.
Fail Harder — led by former Chinese Basketball Association International MVP Darius Adams — outscored Assembly Ball by 11 points in the third quarter, taking a 67-58 lead. Going into Elam Ending, Fail Harder led by 15.
After a brief Assembly Ball run, a Kobe Webster 3-pointer rejuvenated the Fail Harder offense, leading to a Reginald Kissoonlal layup to seal their 89-76 win.
Fail Harder will advance to play All Good Dawgs (Butler alumni) in round two, while Assembly Ball leaves the 2025 TBT winless, dropping their all-time record to 2-2.