COLUMBUS, Ohio – The march for the 2018 The Basketball Tournament (TBT) started on Saturday for The Scarlet and Gray team over on the campus of Capital University as Jared Sullinger, Byron Mullens and many other former Ohio State basketball players were part of a 99-68 dismantling of the West Virginia Wildcats in Midwest regional action.

The 2017 edition of this team made it as far as the semi-finals of the winner-take-all $2 Million prize. This 2018 edition boasts a few new names with Byron Mullens, Greg Oden (will not participate this weekend) and another player who did not wear the Scarlet and Gray in college with former Penn State star Talor Battle playing a key role.

Scarlet and Gray is a No. 1 seed in their region and certainly looked like one putting up 55 first-half points and cruising to victory. It might be hard to imagine that any other team in the field is as deep and talented as the Buckeyes.

"I don’t think there was a team that was more talented than us last year," coach and former Ohio State star Scoonie Penn said after the game. "You have got to play the game and that is why we play the game. I think we have some additions and we remain talented… talent does not win games, I think you have basketball players that know how to play the game, high IQ guys, I think that is what we have along with talent and then you have a chance at something special."

Penn's team got off to a quick start in shooting 66-percent from the floor in the first half of the game and 63-percent from three-point range. Scarlet and Gray held a 25-point edge going into halftime but the Wildcats did not give up.

"They got down, but they did not give up, they continued to battle the whole time," Penn added.

In 2017 the Scarlet and Gray team had to head out of state for opening round action and this year it was different playing within miles of the Ohio State campus and nearby Capital. That was extra special for a player like Sullinger who is from Central Ohio.

"Felt great, felt like a home game," Sullinger said. "It has been a minute since I got to play in front of the Scarlet and Gray. We had a lot of fun."

Tickets sold out for the Scarlet and Gray game early in the day and fans were scalping tickets once they found out the box office had no more tickets to sell for the game. It was definitely a partisan crowd with the Buckeye Nut House in attendance along with many current and former Ohio State players as well as former head coach Thad Matta.

This was the first time that Mullens was able to play with the Scarlet and Gray team as he had an ACL injury last season, something that was not widely publicized. Mullens had 14 points on the day but none were louder than his thunderous dunk over an overmatched West Virginia player.

While the crowd appreciated it, Mullens tried to take it all in stride after the game saying that it still was just two points.

"It is just basketball, it is just another play," Mullens said. "The fans loved it, give the fans a little show but I am glad we got out of here with a win."

Sullinger lead Ohio State with 20 points on 8-13 shooting. Battle had 16 points, Mullens had 14 and Leon Rodgers had 11. Every Ohio State player who played scored on the afternoon. Scarlet and Gray was without Greg Oden and will be again on Sunday but would have him moving forward if the Buckeyes do advance. Sullinger was quick to say that Oden counts as 'like three players' so it would add more to Scarlet and Gray's ridiculous depth.

"We know it is going to get tougher every round," Penn said.

Penn will have some things to work on with his team, the Scarlet and Gray went 9-18 from the free throw line and was sloppy with the ball at times.

"I think our goal is to win every quarter," Penn said. "I think a couple of times we had a couple of lapses, I think we had too many turnovers with 14, sometimes we got a little… once you get a lead, we started getting lazy and laid back."

One thing that Scarlet and Gray has going for it is just a level of familiarity with one another with most of these players all playing at Ohio State. Even if they did not set foot on the court at the same time over at Value City Arena, these guys have played together for a long time.

"When you have got so many basketball players that know how to play with one another, that have been playing with one another since these guys stepped on campus," Sullinger said. "We just kind of know what to do, it is kind of weird. It has been 10-plus years of open gym, playing with one another and knowing everybody's strengths."

Scarlet and Gray will face the Matadors, a team that is made up of Texas Tech alumni on Sunday afternoon at 2pm over at Capital University. The Matadors team defeated Bearcat Jam, a team comprising of University of Cincinnati alumni, 80-63 earlier in the afternoon. The winner will advance to the second weekend which takes place in Atlanta.