For the first time, a group of players all with ties to the IU basketball program are expected to play in The Basketball Tournament (TBT).
Going into its ninth year, TBT is a million dollar, winner-take-all event televised live on ESPN. The event has been won by college alumni teams for three straight years.
A Twitter account connected to the IU TBT team announced on Thursday former IU guard Devonte Green will be on the team. No other players have been announced as of this writing, although the Twitter account followed Troy Williams, James Blackmon, Jr. and Josh Newkirk at around the same time it followed Green. Teams often have 8 to 10 players and administrative staff and coaches. The account also follows former IU head coach Tom Crean.
In previous years, former IU players Will Sheehey, Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford and Mo Creek have played in the event for various teams with no school theme.
The IU team is expected to be called Assembly Ball.
TBT will be expanding to eight regional locations in 2022.
The last two rounds will also be in Dayton, with the semifinals taking place on July 31. The $1 million winner-take-all championship game will be played Aug. 2 on ESPN.
Regional Host Cities
- Omaha, Neb. – July 16-19
- Albuquerque, N.M. – July 18-21
- Cincinnati, Ohio – July 18-21
- Wichita, Kan. – July 22-25
- Syracuse, N.Y. – July 22-25
- Charleston, W. Va. – July 24-27
- Dayton, Ohio – July 24-27
- TBD
Quarterfinals
- Wichita – July 28
- Dayton – July 29-30
Championship Weekend in Dayton
- Semifinals – Sunday, July 31
- $1 Million, Winner-Take-All Championship – Tuesday, Aug. 2
TBT has an open-application process, allowing any team or group of players in the world to apply through thetournament.com April 1 – June 15. The 64-team, single-elimination bracket will be released in late June. The field is expected to consist of international pros, college alumni teams, ex-NBA players, future NBA players and others.
As always, TBT games will continue to feature the Elam Ending®, the end-of-game format adopted by the NBA All-Star game that eliminates the clock after a certain point and features teams playing to a Target Score.
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