Eric Bledsoe, Willie Cauley-Stein, Montrezl Harrell, Yogi Ferrell, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, Andre Roberson, Thomas Robinson, Frank Mason III Among 65 Players with NBA Experience
Field Includes Alumni Teams Representing UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana; Entries from NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal, Podcasters Gillie & Wallo
By: TBT Staff
BOSTON, June 26, 2024 – The Basketball Tournament (TBT) – the $1 million, winner-take-all, summer basketball event televised live on the FOX Sports family of networks today released the bracket for this year’s tournament. For the seventh year in a row, all games will feature TBT’s Elam Ending®. This year’s TBT begins July 19, and 29 games will be broadcast live on FOX, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨TBT’S 2024 BRACKET🚨<br><br>Catch all of the action starting July 19 on <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOXSports</a> and <a href="https://t.co/5P2z7EtUZx">https://t.co/5P2z7EtUZx</a>! <a href="https://t.co/U2sqjSYUhx">pic.twitter.com/U2sqjSYUhx</a></p>— TBT (@thetournament) <a href="https://twitter.com/thetournament/status/1805975851114070140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>The field will feature 64 teams squaring off in a single-elimination format and will be supported by longtime partners PUMA and Zelle. The field will be split into eight regions with eight teams in each region. All regional events will be hosted by an alumni team representing a powerhouse college basketball program. Legendary venues Rupp Arena and Hinkle Fieldhouse are among the new arenas hosting TBT games this year.
For the first time, any host team that wins its regional will be able to play its quarterfinal matchup in its home gym. The quarterfinal pairings are Lexington vs. Louisville, Pittsburgh vs. Butler, Dayton vs. Cincinnati, and Houston vs. Wichita. Should both host teams advance to face off in a quarterfinal matchup, the game would be hosted in whichever region drew a higher attendance for round one.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING NEWS: The Louisville & Lexington Regionals of TBT are matched up which means The Ville (Louisville Alumni) and La Familia (Kentucky Alumni) could play in TBT's Quarterfinals!<br><br>For the first time in TBT HISTORY, we are giving home court to any host or local regional team… <a href="https://t.co/hx49WSUR0X">pic.twitter.com/hx49WSUR0X</a></p>— TBT (@thetournament) <a href="https://twitter.com/thetournament/status/1805965704203563109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Philadelphia will once again serve as the host for TBT’s Championship Weekend, with the semifinals on Aug. 2 and $1 million winner-take-all championship game on Aug. 4 being played at Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.
“This year’s tournament is going to be electrifying,” said The Tournament founder and CEO Jon Mugar. “We are on pace to shatter our attendance record for a fourth straight year. In our eleven-year history, we have never had such a collection of players, partners and venues.”
The full TBT 2024 schedule includes:
Regional Host Locations – July 19-24
- Rupp Arena – Lexington, Ky. – headlined by La Famila (Kentucky alumni)
- Hinkle Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Ind. – headlined by All Good Dawgs (Butler alumni) and Assembly Ball (Indiana alumni)
- Freedom Hall – Louisville, Ky. – headlined by The Ville (Louisville alumni)
- Fertitta Center – Houston, Tex. – headlined by Forever Coogs (Houston alumni)
- Fifth Third Arena – Cincinnati, Ohio. – headlined by Nasty Nati (Cincinnati alumni)
- Petersen Events Center – Pittsburgh, Penn. – headlined by Zoo Crew (Pitt alumni)
- UD Arena – Dayton, Ohio. – headlined by Red Scare (Dayton alumni)
- Charles Koch Arena – Wichita, Kan. – headlined by AfterShocks (Wichita State alumni) and Mass Street (Kansas alumni)
Quarterfinals
- July 29 and 30 (home court advantage awarded to host teams that advance)
Championship Weekend Schedule
- Semifinals – Friday Aug. 2 (Philadelphia)
- $1 Million Championship – Sunday Aug. 4 (Philadelphia)
Highlights from this year’s tournament include:
- Shaquille O’Neal Brings “Team Diesel” to TBT: Featuring his son and former LSU player Shareef O’Neal, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal will lend his name and expertise to Team Diesel this summer. In addition to the 24-year-old Shareef, the roster features former NBA players and high-level NBA pros like former first-round draft pick John Jenkins. Team Diesel, the top seed in the Louisville Regional, will face Team DRC in the first round, a team led by former NFL Pro Bowler Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jj0pPIACOlw?si=gE31bm9xF5TmqUZq" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>- Kentucky and Louisville Show Off Star-Studded Teams: Bitter in-state rivals Kentucky and Louisville are loading up with talent ahead of a potential matchup in TBT’s quarterfinals. Kentucky alumni team La Familia, who are making their TBT debut this summer at Rupp Arena, feature former NBA players Eric Bledsoe, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marquis Teague, James Young. Program legend and former first-round pick Tyler Ulis will serve as the team’s head coach. Louisville alumni team The Ville, hosting for the second consecutive summer at Freedom Hall, added eight-year NBA veteran Montrezl Harrell to a core that already included Russ Smith and Peyton Siva. If both teams win their respective regionals, they would meet in the quarterfinals, with the team who sold the most tickets to their first-round game getting the opportunity to host the matchup.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/goda1E0smWg?si=NkJWjzIMJpCfyyN4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>- Hoosier State Showdown at Hinkle Fieldhouse: Hinkle Fieldhouse will see alumni teams from Indiana, Butler, and Purdue clash for Hoosier State supremacy. First-year Indiana alumni team and top-seed Assembly Ball will feature former Hoosiers star and Indianapolis native Yogi Ferrell, alongside former teammates and ex-NBA players Juwan Morgan and Troy Williams. All Good Dawgs, the Butler alumni team and regional host, are led by eight-year NBA veteran Shelvin Mack. Men of Mackey, the Purdue alumni team, will look to play spoiler as the team with the most TBT experience. Other draws in Indianapolis include Fail Harder, an entry from former Virginia star Kyle Guy, and a Valparaiso alumni team.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yIAclrW90nE?si=2lCtGICkoOmFuryM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>- Back-to-Back National Champions UConn Huskies Join TBT: Fresh off their second consecutive NCAA championship, UConn will look to add a TBT title to their trophy case this summer. Stars of Storrs, organized by Marc D’Amelio and the D’Amelio Huskie Collective brings together a roster of former UConn stars, including national champions Ryan Boatright, DeAndre Daniels, and Joey Calcaterra. Stars of Storrs will be the top seed in the Pittsburgh Regional, which will feature old Big East rivals Zoo Crew (Pittsburgh alumni) and Best Virginia (West Virginia alumni).
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBF4WAjE2uM?si=H9gilQzFwbXScyk6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>- Frank Mason III Leads Revamped Mass Street: After a deep run in the Wichita Regional last year, Kansas alumni team Mass Street has their sights set on going even further this year. 2017 Naismith College Player of the Year Frank Mason III will make his TBT debut alongside fellow newcomers Malik Newman and Marcus Garrett. The trio joins a core of former KU and TBT veterans that also include former top-five pick Thomas Robinson.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Au2eCDJ4gH0?si=32JBRAwYGZVEveB3" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>- TBT Teams up with PUMA and Venice Beach League for Play-In Event: TBT, PUMA and the Venice Basketball League (VBL) are partnering to award the last spot in the 2024 field to a team playing in from Venice. Running since 2006 on the Venice Boardwalk in Los Angeles, the VBL will bring eight teams together for a one-day play-in event on July 7. The champion of the event will get a spot in TBT’s Louisville Regional.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING NEWS: The Venice Ball League will be hosting a TBT qualifier and the winning team will be playing in the Louisville Regional of TBT!<br><br>- More information on teams, how the qualifier will work and more will be coming soon from the VBL. <a href="https://t.co/c22tPD0R4F">pic.twitter.com/c22tPD0R4F</a></p>— TBT (@thetournament) <a href="https://twitter.com/thetournament/status/1805966832488063435?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Tickets for all TBT game days and events are on sale now at www.thetournament.com.