With BIG3 playoff field set, Ice Cube seeks challenge: His All-Stars vs. Olympic 3x3 basketball gold medalists

The BIG3 regular season wrapped up with an intense finale in San Antonio's Frost Bank Center. After the Enemies and Bivouac locked up two playoff spots, that left two remaining spots among four worthy contenders: 3's Company, the Ghost Ballers, Trilogy and the Ball Hogs.

Sunday's opener was expected to be a tight contest between 3's Company and the defending champion Enemies. However, it quickly turned into a rout in favor of 3's Company. After taking a 25-13 lead into halftime, 3's Company refused to let up, going up by as many as 24 before walking away with a 50-23 victory and a spot in the playoffs. That game was followed up by Tri-State beating the Ghost Ballers, 50-34, which only locked up the final postseason berth after the Triplets fell to league-leading Bivouac. Despite the Triplets' elimination, they walked away with a piece of history, as Jeremy Pargo broke the record for most four-pointers made in a season.

With that, the 2024 BIG3 playoffs are set, with No. 1 Bivouac facing No. 4 Tri-State and No. 2 3's Company facing No.3 Enemies. But before the attention focuses on next week in Nashville, here are the final scores and key takeaways from the BIG3's regular season finale.

Week 8 final scores

• 3's Company 50, Enemies 23
• Tri-State 50, Ghost Ballers 34
• Bivouac 51, Triplets 46
• Trilogy 50, Ball Hogs 38

Key takeaways

Ice Cube reiterates challenge to Olympic 3x3 champions

In a recent appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," BIG3 co-founder Ice Cube issued a bold challenge given the struggles of Team USA's 3x3 basketball teams in the Olympics.

"We feel like they should have the BIG3 players in the Olympics. We do have the best 3-on-3 players in the world, and it's not even close," Ice Cube said. "We're so confident, Pat, that we want to challenge the gold-medal winners to a game. We can play right before our championship game in Boston August 18th. We'll fly 'em in, and they can play against our All-Stars and we'll see who's the best in the world." (Currently, Latvia has the top team in the Olympics at 7-0, as they look to play in Monday's gold medal game.)

McAfee responded by offering $100,000 to the winning team, which Ice Cube agreed upon. During the league's regular season finale, Ice Cube confirmed that the amount has since increased to $150,000, while doubling down on his previous remarks, saying: "Whoever they put in front of us, any one of our players can take you down."

As for if he's heard any feedback from any 3x3 teams or the International Olympic Committee, he responded, "Not yet. We're gonna wait to see who wins the gold, and then we're gonna go after them."

The BIG3 All-Star Game has become a league staple since its introduction in 2022. The league's best players are drafted to two All-Star teams, squaring off in a friendly match before the championship game. Last year's All-Star Game even featured an appearance by Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, who became the first active NBA player to suit up for the BIG3. Challenging the 3x3 Olympic basketball champions is certainly a lofty task, but it goes to show how innovative the league has become in seven seasons.

Nasir Core for 4th Man of the Year?

3's Company guard Nasir Core has broken out as an offensive threat next to Michael Beasley, but what may be more impressive is that he's done most of that work off the bench. Core entered Sunday's action averaging 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists on 40% shooting from the field. He put up 11 points -- including three 3-pointers -- five rebounds and four assists, along with a deep game-winner to fulfill 3's Company's hopes of a playoff berth.

When asked if he has anything else to give in the playoffs -- where 3's Company and the Enemies will meet once more -- Core responded, "I ain't got nothing else to give. See what I did right there? Gonna repeat that one more time, get this dub and be on the championship [stage] in Boston."

Core has been a reliable double-digit scorer next to Mario Chalmers, Reggie Evans and Sean Williams, who have all done their part to help one of the league's top scorers in Beasley. Performances like these -- coupled with his unwavering confidence -- should be enough to warrant a spot in the 4th Man of the Year talks.

Brewer's MVP, DPOY cases continue

Speaking of awards, Corey Brewer once again proved why his name has stuck around in conversations for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He once again stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks, and highlighted his play as to why he deserves both MVP and DPOY consideration.

"I feel like my defense is what helped us win the game today," Brewer told Rachel DeMita. "Some guys who win MVP, they can score, put up numbers that way. But then you do it on both ends. I don't just score -- I guard the best player, I block shots, I get steals. I feel like that's the MVP right there, when he does it on both ends."

For all of Brewer's electric scoring performances, he has also been consistent on the defensive end. After today, he remains the league's leader in steals with 13, but has now tied Sean Williams in total blocks with nine. Brewer has made very convincing cases for one, if not both, trophies, though it remains to be seen if any other long shot candidates emerge.