The 2020 TBT: A way to watch Wisconsin basketball this summer (sort of)

Former Badgers are teaming up in the 2020 TBT

[lawrence-newsletter]The Basketball Tournament (also known as TBT) has become a staple of summer hoops. Through creativity, ingenuity, and a whole lot of on-court talent, the TBT has become must-see television for any hoops junkies who miss the game over the summer. It provides a different product than leagues such as the Drew League or the Venice Beach League (I am an L.A. native so those two come to mind first) that are more focused on the streetball entertainment value. Instead, TBT is really, really solid professionals going at each other for a winner-take-all $2 million dollar prize. It gets really fun real quick.

If you watched the NBA All-Star game in 2020, you have seen TBT’s influence at work. The “ELAM ending” is a rule that TBT incorporated from their founding in 2014 in order to change the way late-game scenarios work. It may sound like a gimmick to some, but the way TBT games end is with a target score instead of a clock. At the end of the game, teams are playing to a point total much like the way a pickup game works on the street. It was a hit at the NBA All-Star game and it has been a hit with the TBT because every game must end on a made basket.

Wisconsin basketball is building a presence at the 2020 TBT. Although the teams that are being selected to participate have yet to be announced, BIG X, a team of all Big Ten alumni, certainly should be one of the 24 TBT teams in 2020. The 2020 BIG X roster currently has three former Badgers in Vitto Brown, Kahlil Iverson, and Trevon Hughes. The three Badgers join a roster that is not yet entirely filled, but right now also includes former Buckeyes C.J. Jackson, Andre Wesson, Andrew Dakich (also played at Michigan) and Keyshawn Woods.

So, is the 2020 TBT actually happening in the midst of a global pandemic? The answer that came today was yes, with some changes.

This year’s TBT will be at a single location, feature rampant testing for COVID-19, and be over a span of only ten days sometime in July (yet to be announced). Get ready to watch former Badgers go at it for a $2 million dollar prize. Once broadcasting schedules come out, we will have all the information for you here at BadgersWire.com. Until then, get excited about BIG X. Badger fans have a team to root for in this TBT.