The Basketball Tournament will be held entirely in Columbus at Nationwide Arena according to an announcement from tournament organizers on Twitter Thursday.
The winner-take-all tournament that has captured the summer fancy of the basketball community over the last couple of years was supposed to have 64 teams but just recently announced the decision to trim things down to just 24 teams. It also made the tough decision to hold the tournament in one location, all because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That couldn’t be sweeter news for defending champion Carmen’s Crew who is made up mostly of Ohio State alums. When the original announcement came on moving the tournament to one location, it looked like the deal to play the Columbus Regional at home was scrubbed. And while it won’t take place at the shiny, new Covelli Center, now the whole deal will be in the capital city of Ohio.
The tournament is slated to run from July 4 through 14 with continual COVID-19 testing, and quarantine protocols to ensure the safety of all involved. Fans will not be allowed to attend.
🚨TBT 2020 tips off on Fourth of July!🚨
July 4-14
Columbus, Ohio
Live on @espnBASKETBALL RETURNS IN THREE WEEKS! pic.twitter.com/vy7EM6dZdA
— TBT (@thetournament) June 11, 2020
Still, as all other spectator sports struggle with plans to re-open and get live competition back, it looks like TBT could be the first event to bring it all together.
“Being the first basketball event to play in the U.S. since March is a monumental task that is only possible with great partners,” TBT CEO Jon Mugar said in a news release. “We can’t thank the State of Ohio, Columbus Sports Commission, The Ohio State University and Nationwide Arena enough for their support, not to mention our longstanding partners ESPN, Puma and Zelle. Everyone is unified in wanting to see basketball on TV again, and our players can’t wait to compete.”
The complete field hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s expected that Carmen’s Crew as well as another team with former Buckeyes, Big X, could be poised to play games in their home city.