Somto Cyril, Team Overtime knocked out of The Basketball Tournament

Somto Cyril‘s run at The Basketball Tournament didn’t last very long.

On Wednesday night, Cyril and Team Overtime fell in the opening round of the Dayton Region at this year’s TBT, losing by a final score of 80-68 to Carmen’s Crew. Cyril, a four-star class of 2024 center who committed to Kentucky in late June, dealt with foul trouble all night but was able to put together a nice stretch in the fourth quarter.

Cyril finished the game with a line of four points (2-3 FG), two rebounds, two blocks, one turnover, and four personal fouls in 16 minutes. With the loss, Team Overtime is eliminated from TBT while Carmen’s Crew — a team made up mostly of former Ohio State players — advances to the second round where they’ll play again on Friday night.

Took the L, but it was a great experience. We’ll be back 😈 @thetournament pic.twitter.com/IAKh8lSvN9

— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) July 27, 2023

It was an admittedly quiet start for Cyril, who was part of the starting lineup for Team Overtime. The future Wildcat was getting pushed around inside early on by Carmen’s Crew’s 6-foot-10 big man Kaleb Wesson, who was Second-Team All-Big Ten at Ohio State in 2020. Cyril would play the opening four minutes of the night before heading to the bench for the first time.

With Cyril sidelined, Carmen’s Crew went on a game-changing 14-2 run over a six-minute span down the stretch of the opening quarter before a three-pointer from Team Overtime put an end to the drought. It was a 17-11 lead for the Ohio State alums after the first period. Cyril would begin to make a small impact in the second.

His first highlight of the game came shortly after he was blocked by the rim on a dunk attempt. Cyril put his 40-inch vertical to good use, sprinting in as a help defender to swat away a would-be layup at its apex. He later showed off his length by darting out to contest a three-point shot that he nearly got his fingers on, ultimately forcing a miss.

SOMTO CYRIL BIG TIME ✋BLOCK✋

wow pic.twitter.com/UKu2lWvVQQ

— TBT (@thetournament) July 26, 2023

Unfortunately, foul trouble would limit his playing time in the first half. At the break, Cyril had zero points (0-1 FG), one block, and three fouls in 10 minutes of action. But despite that, Team Overtime showed plenty of fight right before halftime to make it a 38-32 game with Carmen’s Crew still holding on to the lead.

Cyril’s foul issues wouldn’t stop though. He picked up his fourth personal not even two minutes into the third frame. You only get six in TBT before being disqualified, so he was subbed out for another stint on the bench. He would stay there for the remainder of the period before checking back in to begin the fourth.

The big man’s impact would finally be felt at the onset of the final quarter. Cyril kicked off the fourth period with another impressive block on a layup attempt before soaring in for an offensive rebound on the other end and immediately drawing a foul. He would get on the stat sheet soon after that with a dunk which he followed up with a tough and-one finish around the rim a few possessions later.

Nice and-one bucket from Somto Cyril pic.twitter.com/9414BsMmC4

— Jacob Polacheck (@PolacheckKSR) July 26, 2023

Although Cyril’s efforts down the stretch were too little, too late for Team Overtime, it was nice to see him find a groove after battling foul trouble throughout the night. He would watch the Elam Ending finish from the bench as Carmen’s Crew went on to secure the win. It wasn’t the ideal night for Cyril, but it was a learning experience nonetheless against older professionals.

To learn more about Cyril’s time in Dayton and the possibility of him joining this season’s Kentucky roster, check out Jacob Polacheck’s KSR+ article from earlier on Wednesday through the link here.