INDIANAPOLIS — Assembly Ball, headlined by several former Indiana men’s basketball standouts, took an 89-79 victory over The Cru, led by Valparaiso University alums, Friday night at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
With its win, Assembly Ball advances to the second round of The Basketball Tournament’s Butler regional and will play Men of Mackey, comprised of Purdue alums, at 8 p.m. Sunday at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Assembly Ball started just two IU alums in guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Juwan Morgan. The duo drew loud ovations in the pre-game lineup introduction. The team had eight Hoosiers on its final roster but saw only four take the floor— Ferrell, Morgan, guard Devonte Green and forward Race Thompson.
Of note, forwards Miller Kopp, Noah Vonleh and Troy Williams and guard Jordan Hulls did not play for Indiana’s side despite being listed on the final roster.
Kopp is playing in the National Basketball Association Summer League with the Oklahoma City Thunder and will join Assembly Ball after the summer schedule. No reason was provided for the absence of Vonleh, Hulls or Williams, who was on the bench with the team.
Former Indiana All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and current Hoosier guard Anthony Leal were also on Assembly Ball’s bench as spectators.
Fittingly, Ferrell and Morgan scored the team’s first two baskets, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to get Assembly Ball rolling. A hot start saw Assembly Ball lead 22-14 late in the first quarter, but The Cru hit its stride, surging to a 34-33 lead inside six minutes before halftime.
Assembly Ball finished the first half on a 15-4 run, taking a convincing 48-38 lead into the break. Ferrell led all scorers with 18 points, followed by former University of Miami forward Julian Gamble with 8. Morgan added 7 more to Assembly Ball’s tally.
A back-and-forth third quarter ended with Assembly Ball holding a 67-56 advantage. Green scored his only points of the night, connecting on a 3-pointer from the right wing that bounced off the rim multiple times before dropping.
Less than two minutes into the fourth frame, chants of “IU” rained down from the Hinkle Fieldhouse crowd after an emphatic series from Ferrell, who appeared to take exception after a physical layup from The Cru guard Roman Penn before drawing a foul and going coast-to-coast for a layup of his own.
The Cru trimmed its deficit to 6 points with just over five minutes to play, but Assembly Ball quelled the run, holding an 80-72 lead at the four-minute market. In TBT play, once the clock hits four minutes, 8 points are added to the leading team’s score, and that number becomes the target score. Thus, the two teams played to 88 points.
Ferrell scored Assembly Ball’s first 3 points after the target was set, hitting a free throw and a running floater in the lane — but The Cru didn’t go away, closing the gap to 83-79. After Gamble split a pair of free throws, Morgan drained a crucial triple for Assembly Ball, extending the lead to 87-79 and a point away from glory.
After an air-balled three from Miami alum Rion Brown, Gamble vaulted Assembly Ball into the next round with a putback layup, securing the 89-79 victory. The crowd erupted — a suitable end to a night that left Gamble impressed with the Hoosiers’ fanbase.
“Incredible,” Gamble said. “Showing up, I think we got here around 6 p.m. and it was already all red in the gym — I almost forgot we were at Butler. To be an hour away and to have all these fans come out to support guys and hearing the noise when you're running out of the tunnel, it kind of does give you that college feel again.”
Ferrell finished with a game-high 27 points and six assists on nine-of-14 shooting while making four of his nine attempts from beyond the arc. Morgan posted a double-double, logging 12 points and 10 rebounds. Green finished with 3 points, and Thompson failed to find the scoring column.
If Assembly Ball defeats Men of Mackey on Sunday, it plays for the Butler regional championship at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Should the Hoosier alums win the regional, they’ll advance to the quarterfinals of The Basketball Tournament, which puts them three wins away from the $1 million, winner-take-all prize.
It’s an alluring prize — but one Assembly Ball isn’t yet thinking about.
“We’re just going to keep trying to win,” Morgan said. “We’ve just got to go 1-0 six times.”
Daniel Flick covers Indiana football and men’s basketball for the Indiana Daily Student. Follow him on X @ByDanielFlick, or reach him via email at DanFlick@iu.edu.
