The Basketball Tournament 2024

The Basketball Tournament 2024 was the eleventh edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. The tournament, involving 64 teams, began on July 19 and ended on August 4 with the championship game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The tournament format was similar to that of the last edition in 2023—64 teams, each playing in one of eight regionals.

The Basketball Tournament
2024
Tournament information
Location
Regional sites
Semifinal/Championship site
DatesJuly 19–August 4, 2024
Tournament
format(s)
Single elimination
Participants64 teams
PurseChampionship: US$1,000,000 winner-take-all
Final positions
ChampionsCarmen's Crew
Runner-upForever Coogs
Tournament statistics
MVPJared Sullinger[2]
Top scorer(s)Rob Gray (110)[1]
Games played63
← 2023
2025 →

The event had a "championship week", starting with the regional winners advancing to quarterfinals at one of two sites, Houston and Louisville. The quarterfinal winners then traveled to Philadelphia for the semifinals and championship game. Carmen's Crew, a team mostly made up of Ohio State alumni, won the tournament.[3]

Format

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For its 2024 edition, TBT retained its traditional 64-team format and eight-region format, with each regional involving eight teams at a single host site (similar in format to the NCAA Division II men's and women's tournaments).

The teams and the regional placements for all entrants were revealed in a selection special hosted by Andrew Zoldan with John Fanta that aired on TBT's YouTube channel on June 26, 2024.[4]

As with previous years, all tournament games operate with the "Elam Ending", a format of ending the game without use of a game clock. Under the Elam Ending, the clock is turned off at the first dead-ball whistle with 4 minutes or less to play in the game. At that time, a target score, equal to the score of the leading team (or tied teams) plus eight, is set, and the first team to reach this target score is declared the winner of the game.[5] Thus, all games end on a made basket (field goal or free throw) and there is no overtime.

Venues

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The Basketball Tournament 2024 featured games in nine locations, eight of which hosted a regional. The ninth hosted the championship weekend (two semifinal contests and the championship game). Official regional names, if different from the location names, are indicated in the listings below the location names.

  Regional sites only
  Regional and quarterfinal site
  Championship site
Butler
(Indianapolis)
Cincinnati Dayton
Hinkle Fieldhouse Fifth Third Arena UD Arena
Capacity: 12,012 Capacity: 13,409 Capacity: 7,100
     
Houston Lexington
(Kentucky)
Louisville
Fertitta Center Rupp Arena Freedom Hall
Capacity: 9,100 Capacity: 20,500 Capacity: 18,865
     
Pittsburgh Wichita
(Wichita State)
Philadelphia
(Drexel, Championship)
Petersen Events Center Charles Koch Arena Daskalakis Athletic Center
Capacity: 12,508 Capacity: 10,506 Capacity: 2,509
     

Teams

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Source:[6][7]

TBT has a history of teams rostered primarily with alumni from specific NCAA Division I college basketball programs; 29 such teams entered the 2024 tournament. One is drawn from NCAA Division II alumni, another is drawn from NCAA Division III alumni.

Name College or sponsor affiliation Source of team name Region
305 Ballers Main area code for Miami, Florida, where the team is based Lexington
AfterShocks Wichita State alumni School nickname of Shockers Wichita
All Good Dawgs Butler alumni School nickname of Bulldogs Butler
Assembly Ball Indiana alumni Assembly Hall home arena Butler
Austin's Own Texas alumni School location in Austin Houston
Best Virginia West Virginia alumni Pittsburgh
Bleed Green North Texas alumni School nickname of Mean Green Houston
Brotherly Love Pro Am Foundation Pittsburgh
Brown Ballers Made up of brown athletes Cincinnati
Carmen's Crew Ohio State alumni "Carmen Ohio", Ohio State's school song Dayton
D2 Waymakers Former NCAA Division II athletes Lexington
DaGuys STL Team YouTube channel, with players mainly from Greater St. Louis Dayton
Dream 34 Wendell Scott Foundation Formerly "Virginia Dream", Scott's racing number was 34) Cincinnati
Dubois Dream Based out of Dubois, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh
Eberlein Drive Team owners' home street Butler
Fail Harder Butler
Florida TNT Wichita
Forever Coogs Houston alumni Houston Cougars mascot Houston
Fort Wayne Champs Players with connections to Fort Wayne, Indiana Butler
Happy Valley Hoopers Penn State alumni Location of the school in Happy Valley Pittsburgh
Heartfire MedImpact Arizona nonprofit HeartFire Missions, a provider of Christian medical mission trips Dayton
Herd That Marshall alumni School nickname of Thundering Herd Lexington
Herkimer Originals ABA team from Herkimer, New York Pittsburgh
Jackson TN Underdawgs Players with connections to Jackson, Tennessee Lexington
LA Cheaters Drew League Wichita
La Familia Kentucky alumni Ode to recently departed coach John Calipari's Italian heritage; also name of a UK basketball NIL collective Lexington
Los Angeles Ignite TBL team from Los Angeles Houston
Mass Street Kansas alumni Short for Massachusetts Street, the main street through the central business district of the school's home of Lawrence Wichita
Men of Mackey Purdue alumni Purdue home court Mackey Arena Butler
Midtown Prestige TBL team from Wichita, Kansas Wichita
Million $ Worth of Game Pittsburgh
Nasty Nati Cincinnati alumni Nickname of the city of Cincinnati Cincinnati
Once a Bronco Boise State alumni Boise State Broncos mascot Houston
Purple Hearts Gun violence awareness Dayton
Purple Reign Kansas State alumni Kansas State school colors Wichita
Ram Up Colorado State alumni School nickname of Rams Wichita
Red Rose Thunder ECBL team from Lancaster, Pennsylvania Cincinnati
Red Scare Dayton alumni Name of Dayton student section Dayton
Rise & Grind Dayton
Run DFW Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Louisville
Sideline Cancer Pancreatic cancer awareness Louisville
Stars of Storrs UConn alumni Charles and Augustus Storrs, establishers of the Storrs Agricultural School (now the University of Connecticut) Pittsburgh
Sweet Home Alabama Players from the state of Alabama Dayton
Takeover BC Cincinnati
Team Aboutbillions About Billions Production company of Adrien Broner Cincinnati
Team Arkansas Arkansas alumni Butler
Team Colorado Colorado alumni Wichita
Team Diesel Louisville
Team DRC Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Louisville
Team Fredette Team member and organizer Jimmer Fredette Louisville
Team Gibson Team sponsor Taj Gibson Cincinnati
The Challenge ALS Houston
The Cru Valparaiso alumni Former nickname Valparaiso Crusaders Butler
The Enchantment New Mexico alumni State nickname: "Land of Enchantment" Houston
The Nawf Lexington
The Program NYC for Autism Houston
The Ville Louisville alumni City nickname Louisville
UKnighted Bellarmine alumni Bellarmine Knights nickname and mascot Louisville
Veniceball Louisville
War Ready Auburn alumni School battle cry "War Eagle" Lexington
We Are D3 NCAA Division III alumni Dayton
Woco Showtime Wofford alumni Institutional name of Wofford College Lexington
Zip Em Up Xavier alumni Former Xavier team motto Cincinnati
Zoo Crew Pittsburgh alumni Oakland Zoo student section Pittsburgh

Note: team names are per the TBT bracket; some names have slight variation on TBT website pages.

Tournament bracket

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Six of the eight no. 1 seeds advanced in first-round play, with no. 7 Takeover BC upsetting Red Rose Thunder in the Cincinnati Regional.

Three no. 1 seeds advanced in second-round play; the lowest seed to advance to the third round was no 8. Team DRC from the Louisville Regional.

No no. 1 seeds advanced in third-round play; the lowest seed to advance to the quarterfinals was again Takeover BC.

The lowest seed to advance to the semifinals was no 6. Eberlein Drive from the Butler Regional.

In the first semifinal game, Eberlein Driver were eliminated by Forever Coogs, the no. 2 seed from the Houston Regional.

In the second semifinal game, La Familia were eliminated by Carmen's Crew, the no. 3 seed from the Dayton Regional.

Carmen's Crew then defeated Forever Coogs in the championship game.

Source:[7][8][9]

Butler Regional – Hinkle Fieldhouse

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First Round
July 19
Second Round
July 21
Third Round
July 23
         
1 Assembly Ball 89
8 The Cru 78
1 Assembly Ball 68
4 Men of Mackey 55
4 Men of Mackey 75
5 Fort Wayne Champs 63
1 Assembly Ball 79
6 Eberlein Drive 82
3 Team Arkansas 76
6 Eberlein Drive 79
6 Eberlein Drive 88
2 All Good Dawgs 73
2 All Good Dawgs 90
7 Fail Harder 67

Pittsburgh Regional – Petersen Events Center

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First Round
July 20
Second Round
July 22
Third Round
July 24
         
1 Star of Storrs 85
8 Herkimer Originals 52
1 Stars of Storrs 83
5 Happy Valley Hoopers 94
4 Dubois Dream 77
5 Happy Valley Hoopers 88
5 Happy Valley Hoopers 85
2 Zoo Crew 82
3 Best Virginia 94
6 Brotherly Love Pro Am Foundation 69
3 Best Virginia 79
2 Zoo Crew 91
2 Zoo Crew 98
7 Million $ Worth of Game 95

Houston Regional – Fertitta Center

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First Round
July 19
Second Round
July 21
Third Round
July 23
         
1 Bleed Green 78
8 LA Ignite 63
1 Bleed Green 63
5 Team Challenge ALS 66
4 The Program NYC for Autism 67
5 Team Challenge ALS 69
5 Team Challenge ALS 70
2 Forever Coogs 75
3 The Enchantment 53
6 Once a Bronco 60
6 Once a Bronco 76
2 Forever Coogs 79
2 Forever Coogs 71
7 Austin's Own 60

Wichita Regional – Charles Koch Arena

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First Round
July 20
Second Round
July 22
Third Round
July 24
         
1 AfterShocks 86
8 Midtown Prestige 71
1 AfterShocks 74
5 Team Colorado 79
4 Purple Reign 67
5 Team Colorado 71
5 Team Colorado 84
2 Mass Street 81
3 Florida TNT 81
6 L.A. Cheaters 61
3 Florida TNT 59
2 Mass Street 76
2 Mass Street 81
7 Ram Up 68

Cincinnati Regional – Fifth Third Arena

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First Round
July 19
Second Round
July 21
Third Round
July 23
         
1 Nasty Nati 66
8 Team Aboutbillions 70
8 Team Aboutbillions 65
5 Red Rose Thunder 87
4 Brown Ballers 54
5 Red Rose Thunder 83
5 Red Rose Thunder 63
7 Takeover BC 88
3 Team Gibson 67
6 Dream 34 76
6 Dream 34 85
7 Takeover BC 88
2 Zip 'Em Up 75
7 Takeover BC 91

Dayton Regional – UD Arena

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First Round
July 20
Second Round
July 22
Third Round
July 24
         
1 Heartfire 68
8 Rise and Grind 64
1 Heartfire 70
4 We Are D3 68
4 We Are D3 88
5 Sweet Home Alabama 72
1 Heartfire 70
3 Carmen's Crew 74
3 Carmen's Crew 93
6 Purple Hearts 58
3 Carmen's Crew 71
2 Red Scare 60
2 Red Scare 88
7 Daguys STL 74

Lexington Regional – Rupp Arena

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First Round
July 19
Second Round
July 21
Third Round
July 23
         
1 Herd That 92
8 Jackson TN Boom 57
1 Herd That 63
4 War Ready 59
4 War Ready 80
5 D2 Waymakers 73
1 Herd That 66
2 La Familia 95
3 Woco Showtime 76
6 The Nawf 87
6 The Nawf 64
2 La Familia 81
2 La Familia 82
7 305 Ballers 56

Louisville Regional – Freedom Hall

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First Round
July 20
Second Round
July 22
Third Round
July 24
         
1 Team Diesel 79
8 Team DRC 85
8 Team DRC 79
5 Team Fredette 74
4 Run DFW 75
5 Team Fredette 77
8 Team DRC 68
2 The Ville 83
3 Sideline Cancer 100
6 VBL Winner 77
3 Sideline Cancer 69
2 The Ville 71
2 The Ville 80
7 UKnighted 71

Championship Week

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Quarterfinals games were played at Houston and Louisville. All semifinal and championship games were played in Philadelphia.

Quarterfinals
July 29–30
Semifinals
August 2
Championship
August 4
         
BT 6 Eberlein Drive 85
PB 5 Happy Valley Hoopers 71
BT 6 Eberlein Drive 73
HO 2 Forever Coogs 76
HO 2 Forever Coogs 74
WI 5 Team Colorado 49
HO 2 Forever Coogs 65
DY 3 Carmen's Crew 69
CI 7 Takeover BC 74
DY 3 Carmen's Crew 90
DY 3 Carmen's Crew 76
LX 2 La Familia 70
LX 2 La Familia 70
LV 2 The Ville 66

Eric Collins, Nick Bahe, and Cayleigh Griffin were the announcers for both semifinal matches and the championship game.[10]

Semifinals

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FS1
August 2, 2024
7:00 p.m. EDT
BT 6 Eberlein Drive 73, HO 2 Forever Coogs 76
Scoring by quarter: 17–20, 17–20, 17–19, 22–17
Pts: T. Brown 19
Rebs: T. Stone 9
Asts: A. Clemmons 6
Pts: R. Gray 18
Rebs: J. Gorham 7
Asts: R. Gray 3
Daskalakis Athletic Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Jeffrey Anderson, Mike Evans, Jamahl Ralls
FS1
August 2, 2024
9:00 p.m. EDT
DY 3 Carmen's Crew 76, LX 2 La Familia 70
Scoring by quarter: 14–10, 26–17, 17–21, 19–22
Pts: J. Sullinger 16
Rebs: J. Sullinger 7
Asts: K. Wesson, K. Woods 4
Pts: K. Kanter 17
Rebs: W. Cauley-Stein 9
Asts: A. Harrison 4
Daskalakis Athletic Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Earl Walton, Matt Potter, Danny Basile

Championship

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FOX
August 4, 2024
2:00 p.m. EDT
DY 3 Carmen's Crew 69, HO 2 Forever Coogs 65
Scoring by quarter: 18–21, 18–13, 19–15, 14–16
Pts: J. Sullinger 18
Rebs: J. Sullinger 8
Asts: D. Bradford 3
Pts: R. Gray 10
Rebs: J. Gorham 8
Asts: J. Gorham 6
Daskalakis Athletic Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Jeff Anderson, Earl Walton, Matt Potter

Awards

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All Tournament Team
Pos Player Team
PG Rob Gray Forever Coogs
PG Kerem Kanter La Familia
SG Sam Sessoms Happy Valley Hoopers
PG Tyler Stone Eberlein Drive
PF Jared Sullinger Carmen's Crew
Coach Jordan Surenkamp Eberlein Drive
GM Twany Beckham La Familia

Source:[11]

References

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  1. ^ "TBT 2024 Stats". thetournament.com. 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  2. ^ @thetournament (August 4, 2024). "Your TBT 2024 MVP: Jared Sullinger" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ "Home - TBT and TST". TheTournament.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "TBT 2024 Bracket Reveal Show". The Basketball Tournament. June 26, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Selig, David. "What is the Elam Ending?". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  6. ^ "All Teams". thetournament.com. 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "TBT 2024 Bracket". thetournament.com. 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "TBT 2024 Schedule". thetournament.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Individual Leaders". thetournament.com. 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "FOX Sports Unveils Broadcaster Assignments for The Basketball Tournament (TBT)". foxsports.com (Press release). July 17, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "Your TBT 2024 All-Tournament Team". Instagram. August 4, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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