The Basketball Tournament

The Basketball Tournament
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event The Basketball Tournament 2018
Sport Basketball
Founded 2014
Founder Jonathan Mugar
No. of teams 72
Countries United States
Most recent
champion(s)		 Overseas Elite (2018)
Most titles Overseas Elite (4)
TV partner(s) ESPN
Tournament format Single-elimination
Official website www.thetournament.com

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-application, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States, currently featuring 72 teams and offering $2 million in winner-take-all prize money, broadcast by ESPN. TBT was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Mugar.[1]

Format

Teams in TBT are arranged by the general managers, sometimes based on which schools the players attended and which teams they had experience competing for. The tournament currently starts with a field of 72 teams, organized into four regions of 18 teams, all of which are seeded. The 18 teams in each region consist of: nine teams selected based on fan popularity per the tournament's website, four teams selected via at-large bids, four teams accepted via buy-in of a $5000 fee, and the returning regional winner from the prior year's tournament.[2] The championship prize money was originally $500,000 in 2014,[1] was increased to $1 million in 2015, and has been $2 million since 2016. Ninety percent goes to the team's personnel or to charity and 10% goes to its top fans.[2]

Tournament field by year
YearField sizeFinals locationWinner's prize
201432 teamsBoston$500,000
201597 teamsdaggerThe Bronx$1,000,000
201664 teams$2,000,000
201764 teamsdouble-daggerBaltimore
201872 teams

dagger Defending champion received a play-in to the round-of-16
double-dagger Four teams in the field of 64 select via a 16-team two-round play-in

Rules

TBT uses a modified version of NCAA men's basketball rules. As of the 2018 edition, the most significant exceptions are:[3]

  • Games are played in 9-minute quarters instead of 20-minute halves (or the 10-minute quarters of the NCAA women's game).
  • Players are disqualified upon their 6th personal foul (instead of 5th).
  • Bonus free throws follow NCAA women's and FIBA rules, with two free throws on the 5th and subsequent non-shooting fouls by the defense in a quarter.
  • FIBA rules on basket interference are followed, except on free throws. Once the ball hits the rim on a field goal attempt, any player on either team can play the ball.
  • Replay review is governed by NCAA rules, with one modification—any review allowed only in the last 2 minutes of a game under NCAA rules is allowed in TBT only if either team is within 3 points of the Elam Ending target score (see below).
  • Due to the adoption of the Elam Ending for all games, there is no overtime.

Elam Ending

In 2017, the tournament's play-in games utilized "Elam Ending" rules, devised by Ball State University professor Nick Elam. Pursuant to the Elam Ending, the game clock is turned off at the first whistle with 4 minutes or less remaining. The teams then play to a target score equal to the leading team's score plus 7 points.[4] As the first team to meet or exceed the target score wins, there are no overtime games. Effective with the 2018 edition, the Elam Ending is used in all games.[5]

Players

TBT has had a number of current and former NBA players participate, including Hakim Warrick, Jason Williams, Dahntay Jones, Mike Bibby, Royal Ivey, Matt Bonner, and Brian Scalabrine.[6][7] Former WNBA player Nikki Teasley played in the 2014 tournament.[8] The 2018 tournament included the basketball return of Greg Oden, who last played in the Chinese Basketball Association during their 2015–16 season.[9]

Many teams feature professional players reunited under a former college or university name, with teams representing Arkansas, Bradley, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Iowa State, Kansas State, Marquette, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Texas Tech, UCLA, UW-Milwaukee, VCU, and many others. Teams have received fan support from active NBA players such as Kyle Lowry.[8]

In 2016, NBA players such as John Wall, Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gay, Shaun Livingston, Chandler Parsons and Austin Rivers served as boosters for different teams.[10] In 2017, Carmelo Anthony acted as host for the tournament in Baltimore, where he played high school basketball.[11]

Ram Nation advancing its name on the bracket

Bracket Celebration

At the conclusion of each game, the winning team advances its placard on a giant bracket to the next round. The bracket is modeled after the All Valley Karate Tournament bracket found in The Karate Kid.

After pleas from ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, Yahoo Sports columnist Jeff Eisenberg and SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt,[12] the NCAA adopted the ritual for March Madness in 2018.[13] After the game, a portable bracket was brought into the winning team's locker room. One player or a group of players advanced the team to the next round. Oftentimes, the celebration was posted on social media.[14] The bracket celebration also took place in the Frozen Four of the 2018 NCAA Hockey Tournament.[15]

Champions

On June 28, 2014, Notre Dame Fighting Alumni won the inaugural TBT championship, defeating Team Barstool, 72–68. The winning team, represented by several former Fighting Irish players, including MVP Tyrone Nash,[16] donated $40,000 to Coaches vs. Cancer.[8]

On August 2, 2015, Overseas Elite defeated Team 23, 67–65, to take the second annual TBT title.[17] D. J. Kennedy, who played college basketball for St. John's, was named MVP.[18]

2014 MVP Tyrone Nash

Overseas Elite was able to repeat as TBT champions by defeating Team Colorado, 77–72, on August 2, 2016, to claim the $2 million prize; Arizona alumnus Kyle Fogg was named MVP.[19]

On August 3, 2017, Overseas Elite beat Team Challenge ALS, 86–83, to become three-time TBT champions, with Fogg again being named MVP.[20]

On August 3, 2018, Overseas Elite won their fourth consecutive final, defeating Eberlein Drive, 70–58,[21] with D. J. Kennedy being named MVP.[22]

YearChampionScoreRunner-UpMVP
2014Notre Dame Fighting Alumni72–68Team BarstoolTyrone Nash
2015Overseas Elite67–65Team 23D. J. Kennedy
2016Overseas Elite77–72Team ColoradoKyle Fogg
2017Overseas Elite86–83Team Challenge ALSKyle Fogg
2018Overseas Elite70–58Eberlein DriveD. J. Kennedy

Championship game records

Justin Burrell advancing Overseas Elite's name on the bracket after winning the 2017 championship
TeamWonLostTotalYear(s)dagger
Overseas Elite4042015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Notre Dame Fighting Alumni1012014
Team Barstool0112014
Team 230112015
Team Colorado0112016
Team Challenge ALS0112017
Eberlein Drive0112018

dagger bold=won

References

  1. 1 2 Lowe, Zach. "Welcome to The Basketball Tournament, a $500K Winner-Take-All Extravaganza". Grantland. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "What is TBT?". TheTournament.com. 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "The Basketball Tournament: 2018 Official Rules and Regulations". TheTournament.com. 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ Passan, Jeff (June 11, 2018). "10 Degrees: The Mensa member's idea that can solve almost all of baseball's problems". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ Lowe, Zach (June 18, 2018). "New kind of crunch time has NBA luminaries excited". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  6. ↑ Duffy, Thomas. "The Basketball Tournament 2015: Dates, Schedule, Bracket and Players". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Grantland". TheTournament.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "2014 Recap". TheTournament.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Nathan, Alec (July 27, 2018). "Greg Oden Goes for 11 and 5 in Return to Court at the Basketball Tournament". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Wall, Porzingis, Cruz all to participate in #TBT2016 - The Basketball Tournament". thetournament.com.
  11. ↑ Walker, Childs (August 2, 2017). "Carmelo Anthony returns home to Baltimore 'at peace' with himself". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  12. ↑ David Worlock [@DavidWorlock] (8 Jul 2017). "Love the idea. Running it by co-workers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ "NCAA Tournament To Adopt TBT Bracket Celebration - The Basketball Tournament". thetournament.com.
  14. ↑ Villanova MBB [@NovaMBB] (1 Apr 2018). "🎥: @d_cosby2 making it official! #NationalChampionship #FinalFour #LetsMarchNova" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ↑ NCAA Ice Hockey [@NCAAIceHockey] (8 Apr 2018). "OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL @UMDMensHockey 2018 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS #FrozenFour" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Johnson, Raphielle (June 28, 2014). "Notre Dame Fighting Alumni win first annual $500,000 basketball tournament". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  17. ↑ Ryan, Kevin. "Team wins $1 million in winner-take-all hoops tournament". 247Sports.com. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Errick McCollum, Overseas Elite take home $2 million prize for winning The Basketball Tournament". thisweeknews.com. August 2, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  19. ↑ Bartel, Jason (August 2, 2016). "Kyle Fogg earns MVP, Championship in The Basketball Tournament". azdesertswarm.com. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  20. ↑ Kelapire, Ryan (August 3, 2017). "Kyle Fogg named MVP in Overseas Elite's three-peat in The Basketball Tournament". azdesertswarm.com. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  21. ↑ Fominykh, Katherine (August 3, 2018). "Overseas Elite tops Eberlein Drive for fourth straight The Basketball Tournament title and $2 million". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  22. ↑ "TBT 2018 All-Tournament Team". thetournament.com. August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
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