The Basketball Tournament
2023
Tournament information
Location
Regional sites
Semifinal/Championship site
DatesJuly 19–August 3, 2023
Tournament
format(s)
Single elimination
Participants64 teams
PurseChampionship: US$1,000,000 winner-take-all
Final positions
ChampionsHeartfire
Runner-upBleed Green
Tournament statistics
MVPBrandon Jefferson[1]
Top scorer(s)Brandon Jefferson (115)[2]
Games played63

The Basketball Tournament 2023 was the tenth 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 3 with the championship game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The tournament format was similar to that of the last edition in 2022—64 teams, each playing in one of eight regionals.

The event had a "championship week", starting with the regional winners advancing to quarterfinals at one of four sites, Dayton, Louisville, Wheeling, WV, and Wichita. The quarterfinal winners then traveled to Philadelphia for the semifinals and championship game. Heartfire, a team sponsored by MedImpact, won the tournament.[3]

Format

For its 2023 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). Wichita is serving as host for two separate regionals.

In a feature it calls "Run It Back", TBT organizers invited all teams that won first-round games in the 2022 edition to play in 2023. The remaining teams, and the regional placements for all entrants, were revealed in a selection special hosted by Andrew Zoldan with analyst Seth Greenberg that aired on TBT's YouTube channel on June 21, 2023.[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

The Basketball Tournament 2023 featured games in eight locations, seven of which hosted a regional. The eighth 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
Cincinnati
(Xavier)		 Lubbock Syracuse Dayton
Cintas Center United Supermarkets Arena The Oncenter UD Arena
Capacity: 10,224 Capacity: 15,300 Capacity: 7,000 Capacity: 13,409
Louisville Wheeling
(West Virginia)		 Wichita Philadelphia
(Championship)
Freedom Hall WesBanco Arena Charles Koch Arena Daskalakis Athletic Center
Capacity: 18,865 Capacity: 5,406 Capacity: 10,506 Capacity: 2,509

Teams

Source:[6][7]

TBT has a history of teams rostered primarily with alumni from specific NCAA Division I college basketball programs; 33 such teams entered the 2023 tournament. Three other teams were rostered primarily with alumni from groups of NCAA basketball programs sharing a common bond. Two mostly consist of alumni from a specific Division I conference, one is drawn from a group of historic basketball rivals, another is drawn from NCAA Division III alumni, and the last is drawn from historically black colleges and universities.

Name College or sponsor affiliation Source of team name Region
AfterShocksWichita State alumniSchool nickname of ShockersWichita 2
Air RaidersTexas Tech alumniSchool nickname of Red RaidersLubbock
Athletics Miami—Team sponsor Athletics Miami, a basketball facilityDayton
Austin's OwnTexas alumniSchool location in AustinLubbock
B1 Ballers—Wichita 2
Beale Street BoysMemphis alumniStreet where school arena is locatedWichita 2
Best VirginiaWest Virginia alumniWest Virginia
Big 5Philadelphia Big 5 alumniSyracuse
Bleed GreenNorth Texas alumniSchool nickname of Mean GreenLubbock
Blue Collar UBuffalo alumniPrimary school color, plus city's blue-collar imageSyracuse
Boeheim's ArmySyracuse alumniFormer Syracuse head coach Jim BoeheimSyracuse
Broad Street BirdsTemple alumniStreet where school arena is located, Owl mascotWichita 2
BucketneersETSU alumniSchool nickname of BuccaneersXavier
Carmen's CrewOhio State alumni"Carmen Ohio", Ohio State's school songDayton
Challenge ALS: Florida—Combination of former teams Challenge ALS and Florida TNTWest Virginia
The CommonwealthUMass alumniCommonwealth of MassachusettsSyracuse
DaGuys STL—Team YouTube channel, with players mainly from Greater St. LouisWichita 2
DawgTownGeorgetown alumniTeam mascot Jack the BulldogWest Virginia
Dubois Dream—Based out of Dubois, PennsylvaniaWest Virginia
Eberlein Drive—Team owners' home streetLouisville
The EnchantmentNew Mexico alumniState nickname, "Land of Enchantment"Lubbock
Fort Wayne Champs—Players with connections to Fort Wayne, IndianaXavier
Friday Beers[lower-alpha 1]Armored AthleteDayton
GataverseFlorida alumniFlorida Gators mascotLouisville
Georgia Kingz—Players with connections to the state of GeorgiaXavier
Gutter Cat Gang[lower-alpha 2]—Team sponsor Gutter Cat Gang, an NFT company[8]Louisville
Happy Valley HoopersPenn State alumniLocation of the school in Happy ValleySyracuse
HBCUnitedHBCU alumniLubbock
HeartfireMedImpactArizona nonprofit HeartFire Missions, a provider of Christian medical mission tripsWichita 1
Herd ThatMarshall alumniSchool nickname of Thundering HerdWest Virginia
India Rising—Players of Indian originDayton
In the Lab—In The Lab, a basketball content creation companyLubbock
Jackson TN Underdawgs—Players with connections to Jackson, TennesseeLouisville
Juco Products—Players with connections to Junior collegesWichita 1
LA CheatersDrew LeagueWichita 1
Living the Dream—Wichita 1
Mass StreetKansas alumniShort for Massachusetts Street, the main street through the central business district of the school's home of LawrenceWichita 1
Men of MackeyPurdue alumniPurdue home court Mackey ArenaDayton
The Money TeamTMTTeam sponsor Floyd "Money" MayweatherXavier
Nasty NatiCincinnati alumniNickname of the city of CincinnatiXavier
The Nawf—Players with connections to Gwinnett County, GeorgiaLouisville
The Nerd Team—Players from "more prestigious" universitiesSyracuse
The Program for Autism—The Program NYC, a youth basketball initiativeXavier
Purple & BlackKansas State alumniSchool colorsWichita 2
Purple Hearts—Gun violence awarenessLubbock
Ram NationVCU alumniSchool nickname of RamsWest Virginia
Ram UpColorado State alumniSchool nickname of RamsWichita 2
Red ScareDayton alumniName of Dayton student sectionDayton
The Rhody Way[lower-alpha 3]Rhode Island alumniSchool mascot Rhody the RamDayton
Rise & Grind—Lubbock
Shell ShockMaryland alumniMaryland Terrapins school mascotLouisville
Show Me SquadMissouri alumniMissouri state nickname "Show Me State"Wichita 1
Sideline Cancer—Pancreatic cancer awarenessWest Virginia
Team ArkansasArkansas alumniWichita 2
Team ColoradoColorado alumniDayton
Team DRCDominique Rodgers-CromartieXavier
Team Gibson—Team sponsor Taj GibsonSyracuse
Team OvertimeOvertimeTeam sponsor Overtime, a sports media companyDayton
The VilleLouisville alumniCity nicknameLouisville
Vegas RebellionUNLV alumniVegas Rebels school mascotWichita 1
Virginia Dream—Players with connections to the state of VirginiaSyracuse
War ReadyAuburn alumniSchool battle cry "War Eagle"Louisville
We Are D3NCAA Division III alumniWichita 1
Zip Em UpXavier alumniFormer Xavier team mottoXavier
Zoo CrewPittsburgh alumniOakland Zoo student sectionWest Virginia

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

  1. ↑ Known in previous TBT editions as Armored Athlete.
  2. ↑ Known in previous TBT editions as Team Hines.
  3. ↑ Withdrew from the tournament July 22.[9]

Tournament bracket

Seven of the eight no. 1 seeds advanced in first-round play, with no. 8 India Rising upsetting Red Scare in the Dayton Regional.

Five no. 1 seeds advanced in second-round play; the lowest seed to advance to the third round was no 6. Nasti Nati from the Dayton Regional.

Two no. 1 seeds advanced in third-round play; the lowest seed to advance to the quarterfinals was again Nasti Nati.

No no. 1 seeds won a quarterfinal match; the lowest seed to advance to the semifinals was no 4. Herd That from the West Virginia Regional.

In the first semifinal game, Herd That were eliminated by Heartfire, the no. 2 seed from the Wichita 1 Regional.

In the second semifinal game, Friday Beers were eliminated by Bleed Green, the no. 2 seed from the Lubbock Regional.

Heartfire then defeated Bleed Green in the championship game.

Source:[7][10][11]

Lubbock Regional – United Supermarkets Arena

First Round
July 19 		Second Round
July 21 		Third Round
July 23
         
1 Air Raiders 83
8 Purple Hearts 64
1 Air Raiders 67
4 The Enchantment 84
4 The Enchantment 77
5 Austin's Own 66
4 The Enchantment 57
2 Bleed Green 70
3 HBCUnited 58
6 In The Lab 88
6 In The Lab 72
2 Bleed Green 83
2 Bleed Green 94
7 Rise & Grind 78

Wichita 1 Regional – Charles Koch Arena

First Round
July 19 		Second Round
July 22 		Third Round
July 23
         
1 Mass Street 70
8 We Are D3 67
1 Mass Street 69
4 Show Me Squad 65
4 Show Me Squad 96
5 Vegas Rebellion 90
1 Mass Street 60
2 Heartfire 73
3 LA Cheaters 86
6 Living The Dream 72
3 LA Cheaters 57
2 Heartfire 62
2 Heartfire 69
7 JUCO Products 66

Wichita 2 Regional – Charles Koch Arena

First Round
July 20 		Second Round
July 21 		Third Round
July 23
         
1 AfterShocks 66
8 B1 Ballers 54
1 AfterShocks 73
4 Beale Street Boys 69
4 Beale Street Boys 73
5 Broad Street Birds 67
1 AfterShocks 63
3 Team Arkansas 59
3 Team Arkansas 70
6 Ram Up 58
3 Team Arkansas 63
2 Purple & Black 52
2 Purple & Black 72
7 DaGuys STL 59

Xavier Regional – Cintas Center (Cincinnati)

First Round
July 21 		Second Round
July 22 		Third Round
July 24
         
1 Program for Autism 91
8 Team DRC 76
1 Program for Autism 86
5 Fort Wayne Champs 74
4 Bucketneers 52
5 Fort Wayne Champs 85
1 Program for Autism 51
6 Nasty Nati 76
3 The Money Team 76
6 Nasty Nati 88
6 Nasty Nati 77
2 Zip Em Up 73
2 Zip Em Up 84
7 Georgia Kingz 78

Syracuse Regional – The Oncenter

First Round
July 24 		Second Round
July 26 		Third Round
July 28
         
1 Blue Collar U 78
8 Big 5 77
1 Blue Collar U 107
4 Virginia Dream 86
4 Virginia Dream 79
5 The Commonwealth 73
1 Blue Collar U 54
2 Boeheim's Army 69
3 The Nerd Team 54
6 Happy Valley Hoopers 49
3 The Nerd Team 75
2 Boeheim's Army 83
2 Boeheim's Army 99
7 Team Gibson 83

Louisville Regional – Freedom Hall

First Round
July 25 		Second Round
July 27 		Third Round
July 29
         
1 Gutter Cats 77
8 The Nawf 72
1 Gutter Cats 71
4 Shell Shock 57
4 Shell Shock 77
5 Gataverse 74
1 Gutter Cats 64
2 The Ville 62
3 Eberlein Drive 68
6 Jackson TN Underdawgs 88
6 Jackson TN Underdawgs 74
2 The Ville 79
2 The Ville 91
7 War Ready 67

West Virginia Regional – WesBanco Arena (Wheeling)

First Round
July 25 		Second Round
July 27 		Third Round
July 29
         
1 Best Virginia 70
8 Dubois Dream 68
1 Best Virginia 61
4 Herd That 74
4 Herd That 86
5 Zoo Crew 71
4 Herd That 73
2 Sideline Cancer 64
3 Challenge ALS: Florida 95
6 Dawg Town 66
3 Challenge ALS: Florida 51
2 Sideline Cancer 60
2 Sideline Cancer 83
7 Ram Nation 72

Dayton Regional – UD Arena

First Round
July 26 		Second Round
July 28 		Third Round
July 29
         
1 Red Scare 67
8 India Rising 77
8 India Rising 56
4 Carmen's Crew 82
4 Carmen's Crew 80
5 Team Overtime 68
4 Carmen's Crew 63
2 Friday Beers 72
3 Team Colorado 68
6 Men of Mackey 70
6 Men of Mackey 68
2 Friday Beers 73
2 Friday Beers 84
7 Athletics Miami 72

Championship Week

Quarterfinals games were played at Wichita, West Virginia, Dayton, and Louisville. All semifinal and championship games were played in Philadelphia.

Quarterfinals
July 25–31 		Semifinals
August 2 		Championship
August 3
         
W1 2 Heartfire 76
W2 1 Aftershocks 53
W1 2 Heartfire 73
WV 4 Herd That 68
SY 2 Boeheim's Army 71
WV 4 Herd That 88
W1 2 Heartfire 78
LB 2 Bleed Green 73
XV 6 Nasty Nati 66
DY 2 Friday Beers 72
DY 2 Friday Beers 65
LB 2 Bleed Green 68
LB 2 Bleed Green 72
LV 1 Gutter Cats 61

Eric Collins, Fran Fraschilla, and Ashley ShaAhmadi were the announcers for both semifinal matches and the championship game.[12]

Semifinals

August 2, 2023
7:00 p.m. EDT
W1 2 Heartfire 73, WV 4 Herd That 68
Scoring by quarter: 9–16, 25–12, 26–17, 13–23
Pts: T. Mack, R. Putney 14
Rebs: R. Solomon, E. Griffin 8
Asts: R. Putney 3		 Pts: J. Tokoto 27
Rebs: J. Tokoto 9
Asts: J. Elmore 5
August 2, 2023
9:00 p.m. EDT
DY 1 Friday Beers 65, LB 2 Bleed Green 68
Scoring by quarter: 17–14, 12–19, 15–19, 21–16
Pts: J. Gamble 20
Rebs: J. Gamble 13
Asts: D. Bost 5		 Pts: J. Stevens 18
Rebs: T. Bell, B. Reed 4
Asts: B. Jefferson 7

Championship

August 3, 2023
7:00 p.m. EDT
W1 2 Heartfire 78, LB 2 Bleed Green 73
Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 26–16, 15–20, 16–19
Pts: E. Griffin 23
Rebs: C. Sword, E. Griffin 7
Asts: R. Putney 3		 Pts: K. Huntsberry 23
Rebs: T. Bell 8
Asts: B. Jefferson, T. Bell 5

Awards

All Tournament Team
PosPlayerTeam
PGJordan StevensBleed Green
PGJon ElmoreHerd That
SGJarron CumberlandNasti Nati
PGMarcus HallHeartfire
PFJulian GambleFriday Beers
CoachLaPhonso EllisHeartfire
GMAJ MaharFriday Beers

Source: [13]

References

  1. ↑ @thetournament (August 4, 2023). "Your TBT 2023 MVP: Brandon Jefferson" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ "TBT 2023 Stats: Leaders". thetournament.com. 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ March, Lochlahn (August 3, 2023). "Team Heartfire wins $1,000,000 prize at The Basketball Tournament". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "TBT 2023 Bracket Reveal Show". The Basketball Tournament. June 21, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Selig, David. "What is the Elam Ending?". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  6. ↑ "All Teams". thetournament.com. 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Bracket". thetournament.com. 2023.
  8. ↑ "Gutter Cat Gang | The Basketball Tournament | Puma". guttercatgang.com. May 27, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ Koch, Bill (July 22, 2023). "The Rhody Way withdraws from The Basketball Tournament; what happened". The Providence Journal. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ "TBT 2023 Schedule". thetournament.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Stats: Schedule". thetournament.com. 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ufnowski, Amy (July 2023). "ESPN Announces Schedule and Commentators for TBT 2023, Tipping Off July 19". espnpressroom.com (Press release). Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Your TBT 2023 All-Tournament Team". Instagram. August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
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