TBT Championship Weekend to be hosted by UD Arena
After last year’s TBT was moved to a “bubble” in Columbus, UD Arena will host the quarterfinals through championship game this year, July 31-Aug. 3. Photo courtesy of Flyer News.
Peter Burtnett
Sports Editor
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) announced Wednesday that its 2021 Championship Weekend will be hosted by the University of Dayton July 31-Aug. 3.
The tournament will start with four regional events in Wichita, Kan., Charleston, W. Va., Columbus, Ohio, and Peoria, Ill. Dayton’s TBT team, Red Scare, will be a featured team in the Columbus regional, to be played July 23-27.
From the regionals, two teams from each will converge on UD Arena July 31-Aug. 3 for TBT’s $1 million prize. The ESPN networks will show all games live.
“Dayton is a basketball town. Our fans have enjoyed following our Red Scare alumni team in The Basketball Tournament the past couple years,” Dayton men’s basketball head coach Anthony Grant said. “The opportunity to come home and play in UD Arena is very exciting for the players, and for our fans. We can’t wait for TBT to experience the passion and excitement that our community has for basketball.”
Dayton was supposed to host TBT’s Championship Weekend before the COVID-19 pandemic struck and forced the 24-team tournament to be held in a “bubble” in Columbus.
“A couple of years ago, we experienced how passionate Dayton fans are when they came out and supported the Red Scare in Columbus”, said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. “They easily grasped our brand of high stakes, Elam Ending basketball. We’re excited to partner with the University of Dayton to bring the championship to Dayton this summer. It’s easy to see UD Arena becoming its home for many years to come.”
Last year’s Red Scare team, led by 2013 Flyers Elite Eight member Devin Oliver, and 2019-20 “glue guys” Trey Landers and Ryan Mikesell, advanced to the semifinals before falling to eventual champion Golden Eagles from Marquette.
Ryan Mikesell (left) and Jalen Robinson (right) are pictured during last year’s TBT in Columbus, Ohio. Photo courtesy of Ben Solomon, TBT.
“Being able to play for Red Scare and continue to represent the University of Dayton is always one of the highlights of my summer,” Oliver said. “Having the opportunity to play at UD Arena again would be incredibly special, and we can’t wait to hoist TBT’s trophy in front of the best fans in college basketball.”
Oliver, along with Landers, Miksell, Kyle Davis, Darrell Davis and Kendall Pollard are among the initial commitments to the 2021 roster, which will be announced in full at a later date.
Landers throws down a dunk during the 2020 TBT. Photo courtesy of Ben Solomon, TBT.
TBT features an open-application process, allowing for any teams or group of players from around the world to apply through TheTournament.com May 1 – June 15. The final 64-team, single-elimination bracket will be released on June 28.
For the fourth year in a row, TBT games will feature the Elam Ending, the end-of-game format adopted by the NBA All-Star game for the past two years that eliminates the game clock after a certain point and features teams playing to a Target Score.
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