The summer of 2020 will be one of the most jam-packed sports seasons in quite some time. With the coronavirus pandemic pushing almost every major league to pick things back up in the next few weeks, each day will be filled with sports content.
On that note, basketball fans in the U.S. will not only get to see the return of live games with the NBA, but also through The Basketball Tournament — a summer league basketball tournament that sees a host of teams compete in a single-elimination bracket for a grand prize of $1 million. This year’s edition will feature 24 teams and include players like Joe Johnson, Aaron Craft and Isaiah Austin. Best of all for those desperately hankering for more sports, it starts on July 4.
The games follow standard college rules, with the exception of nine-minute quarters and a limit of six fouls per player, but the biggest format change TBT has over all other competitions is the Elam Ending, which was featured during the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. The way that works is that halfway through the fourth quarter, the clock is turned off and a target score is set, which is the leading team’s score plus seven. Whichever team reaches that point total first wins the game. The idea is that it eliminates intentional fouling and creates a more fluid game toward the end.
This year will see a tournament mainstay, the Overseas Elites, try and take their crown back from last year’s champ, Carmen’s Crew, which was headlined by Craft. The Elites feature a squad of Johnson, Jarrett Jack, Bobby Brown and Xavier Silas. Austin will play for Heartfire.
Find the odds for every team in the tournament down below:
The Basketball Tournament Odds
- Overseas Elite, +160
- Carmen’s Crew, +250
- Golden Eagles, +450
- Boeheim’s Army, +700
- Eberlein Drive, +1200
- The Money Team, +1400
- Red Scare, +1800
- Team Hines, +1800
- Brotherly Love, +1800
- Team Challenge ALS, +1800
- Big X, +2000
- House of ‘Paign, +2500
- Team CP3, +6000
- Heartfire, +6000
- War Tampa, +6000
- Peoria All-Stars, +6000
- Stillwater Stars, +6000
- Power of the Paw, +7500
- Men of Mackey, +7500
- Armored Athlete, +10000
- PrimeTime Players, +10000
- Herd That, +10000
- Sideline Cancer, +12500
