A New Era for The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament, a staple of summer sports since its debut in 2014, is set to undergo its most sweeping transformation yet.
Under the new structure, the field will be trimmed from 64 to 16 teams, with each series played as a best‑of‑three, a format borrowed from the soccer‑centric model that proved popular on the other side of the diamond.
The championship game will be staged by the winner of the alumni bracket and will be carried live on Fox Sports, which recently renewed its two‑year media rights agreement with the tournament, doubling the prize pool to $2 million.
Alumni squads from Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, Kansas State, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Wichita State and New Mexico will compete, while the non‑alumni side will feature eight teams captained by former NBA guard Baron Davis and former MLB star Dee Gordon, battling in a single‑elimination showdown at the M Resort in Las Vegas.
A new roster rule now demands that at least seven of the eleven players on each team have suited up for their college, a move meant to preserve the event’s connection to campus roots. Jon Mugar, the tournament’s founder, says he remains open to further tweaks as feedback rolls in.