BASKETBALL IS BACK ON ESPN JULY 4th.
The Basketball Tournament, also known as the TBT, tips off this weekend on ESPN, so I wanted to quickly catch you all up to speed before the teams hit the floor in Columbus.
The TBT is an open 24-team tournament, with a winner-take-all prize of $1,000,000. The TBT has grown substantially in interest and talent over its 7 years of existence, all while giving fans the intensity of the NCAA March Madness single-elimination style.
My favorite thing about the TBT is the talent pool the players come from. The talent in the tournament ranges from players who have “Elite” overseas and NBA experience to even a team full of D2 legends.
The range of talent displayed is amazing because it highlights how great a player must be to succeed at higher levels of the sport, which is something I feel most fans don’t understand when they decide to flip on a game.
To qualify for tournament selection, teams have to fill out an application, and based on multiple criteria (including fanbase support), they are chosen to participate. Once selected and entered into the pool, the bracket is made, and the fun begins.
TBT 2020 will look a little different with only 24 teams. (The TBT had 72 teams in 2018 and 64 teams in 2019)
The Elam Ending
The Elam Ending is what truly separates The Tournament from any other basketball competition on the planet.
The Elam Ending was implemented for TBT 2017.
The Elam Ending was created by Nick Elam, a professor who dedicated his time to figure out how end-of-game situations could move away from late-game fouling. (Fun Fact: Intentionally fouling as the trailing team in a basketball game works roughly 1.5 percent of the time)
The ending starts at the 4-minute mark of the 4th quarter.
First, the game clock is shut off. Next, a target score of 8 points more than the current score of the leading team is set. (Ex. if a game is 60-50, a target score of 68 ends the game)
The first team to reach the target score wins, and the game has to end on a made basket.
The NBA adopted a variation of this rule in the 2020 All-Star Game.
District of Buckets and the TBT
For TBT 2020 District of Buckets has received online media day access to 4 teams.
Herd That- Marshall University Alumni
Men of Mackey- Purdue University Alumni
Stillwater Stars- Oklahoma State University Alumni
War Tampa- Players from the state of Florida and Auburn Alumni
Throughout the tournament (July 4th-July 14th), I am going to focus on these 4 teams. My goal is to highlight the best performances each team has on the court and focus on the playing careers of the players hunting for the glory of the $1,000,000 prize.
Basketball can’t get here soon enough.
More updates this weekend.
District of Buckets 