(LEX 18) — The Basketball Tournament is doubling its winner-take-all prize to $2 million and introducing a new format for 2026, featuring 16 teams split across two separate brackets.
TBT 2026 will include eight alumni teams competing on college campuses across the country and eight non-alumni teams competing in Las Vegas, a new release from TBT read. The Alumni Bracket will be highlighted by a series between Kentucky alumni and Louisville alumni. The Non-Alumni Bracket is open-application and will be played at the M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas from July 23-30.
The tournament tips off July 18 with a first-round matchup between Kentucky and Louisville. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 2, when the winner of the Non-Alumni Bracket travels to the winner of the Alumni Bracket's home court to compete for the $2 million prize.
"We are doubling down on our belief that high stakes sporting events are the best fan experience in sports," The Tournament CEO Jon Mugar said. "By doubling the prize and separating our bracket into alumni and non-alumni, we are now able to deliver a better experience to more basketball fans and players. The new format also opens the door to even more categories of entries down the road."
The eight alumni teams will compete in best-of-three series, while the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship will be single-elimination, according to TBT. Kentucky's La Familia, led by Willie Cauley-Stein, and Louisville's The Ville, led by Russ Smith, are the first of four matchups to be revealed this week. The two teams met in TBT's quarterfinals in 2024 in front of a record-setting crowd of 13,506 at Freedom Hall.
On the non-alumni side, four of the eight Las Vegas slots have already been claimed. The first two teams announced are TeamBIG.io, led by two-time NBA All-Star and UCLA legend Baron Davis, and Black Sheep, led by two-time MLB All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon.
"I'm super excited," Baron Davis said. "I've been following TBT over the years and have always been a fan of what they're doing in basketball. I think it'll be fun having it in Vegas and fun putting a team together."
"I've always been a huge fan of TBT, and I remember watching it closely during my time with the Marlins," Strange-Gordon said. "It's thrilling to see how much the tournament has grown over the years, and I'm beyond excited to be part of it now with my own team. Having a chance to compete in this incredible event feels like a dream come true!"
Four open slots remain available for purchase in TBT's Las Vegas event and anyone can apply. Entry fees start at $125,000 per team, with the final two slots priced at $175,000 and $250,000, respectively.
The new format follows a record-setting 2025 tournament. More than 500,000 viewers watched on Fox as the AfterShocks, representing Wichita State, defeated Eberlein Drive in a championship held on Wichita State's campus. That game set both a viewership record and a championship game attendance record, with 9,029 fans filling Koch Arena — Wichita State's biggest basketball crowd in over three years, despite students not being in session.
TBT drew 85,395 fans in attendance last summer, surpassing its own record set in 2024. Since 2022, TBT has grown its annual attendance by over 136%.
