The Basketball Tournament (TBT) 2025 is set to tip off this Friday July 18th, and once again should be an exciting dose of basketball in the dog days of summer. Since it first began in 2014, TBT has quickly grown into one of the premier basketball events of the offseason. This year’s event will feature 61 teams competing in a single-elimination bracket, with a $1 million winner-take-all prize.
While TBT features a mix of current and former professional players, the event is deeply rooted in, and has really grown because of its strong ties to the college basketball world. Many of the participating teams are college alumni squads, made up of former players from their programs. With its single-elimination format and rosters full of familiar faces from the college basketball world, TBT is the perfect offseason remedy for college hoops fans.
Elam Ending Format
The tournament will once again feature the Elam Ending, which is a unique format that has gained traction since it was first used in TBT in 2017. Since then, it has been adopted in events such as the NBA All-Star Game, NBA G League, and Unrivaled.
Under the Elam Ending rules in TBT, the game clock is turned off at the first stoppage at or under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. At this point, a target score is set that is 8 points more than the leading team’s score (e.g. If score is 78-72, Target Score = 86, first team to 86 points wins). Under this format, every contest ends on a “game winner” and it eliminates the long, drawn-out foul and free throw fest that can take place near the end of games, a part of college basketball that has become highly criticized as of late.
College Hoops Connection
Now, assuming you’re here because you love college hoops, here are the teams with college basketball affiliations competing in TBT 2025.
- Aftershocks (Wichita State)
- All Good Dawgs (Butler)
- Assembly Ball (Indiana)
- Austin’s Own (Texas)
- Best Virginia (West Virginia)
- Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse)
- Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State)
- Court Street Kings (Ohio)
- Dunkin’ Dogs (Louisiana Tech)
- Forever Coogs (Houston)
- Founding Fathers (James Madison)
- Green Mountain Men (Vermont)
- Happy Valley Hoopers (Penn State)
- Herd That (Marshall)
- JHX Hoops (Kansas)
- La Familia (Kentucky)
- Purple Reign (Kansas State)
- Shell Shock (Maryland)
- Shield 219 (Valparaiso)
- Stars of Storrs (UConn)
- Srtroh’s Squad (Bowling Green)
- The Ville (Louisville)
- War Ready (Auburn)
- We Are D3 (Division III Players)
Full 61 team field here
Host Sites
This year’s field is divided into eight regions, each hosted by a college alumni squad. All regional hosts will have home-court advantage throughout the entire tournament.
- Indianapolis (Butler/Indiana) - Hinkle Fieldhouse
- James Madison (James Madison) - Atlantic Union Bank Center
- Kansas City (Kansas/Kansas State) - Municipal Auditorium
- Lexington (Kentucky) - Memorial Coliseum
- Louisville (Louisville) - Freedom Hall
- Syracuse (Syracuse) - SRC Arena
- West Virginia (West Virginia/Marshall) - Charleston Coliseum
- Wichita (Wichita State) - Charles Koch Arena
Schedule
First-round games will tip off Friday and Saturday (7/18–7/19). Following rounds will take place over the next two weeks, with the championship game scheduled for August 3rd.
- First Round: 7/18-19
- Second Round: 7/20-21
- Round of 16: 7/22-23
- Quarterfinals: 7/27-28
- Semifinals: 7/31
- Championship: 8/3
Select games will be broadcast on FOX, FS1, and FS2, while most of the action will be available to watch on YouTube.