FOX Sports, TBT Announce Extension For New-Look, $2M Tournament

Mark your calendars, college basketball fans. The Basketball Tournament is returning to FOX Sports, announcing a two-year extension to air the new-look tournament, which will include a $2 million championship prize. An annual tournament featuring college basketball alumni competing for a cash prize, is entering its 13th year of competition. FOX Sports will air 20 games across FOX, FS1, and FS2, including the championship game on Aug. 2. “We are excited to return to Fox Sports for two more years,” TBT CEO Jon Mugar said. “Last year’s championship game was our most watched and highest attended ever. With double the prize, and only sixteen teams, our 2026 event will be our most competitive ever.” The 2026 iteration of the TBT will feature a 16-team bracket, including eight alumni teams and eight non-alumni teams competing on separate sides of the bracket. The first round will be a best-of-three before returning to single-elimination games. The $2 million winner-take-all prize money is the largest purse since 2019. Here is the alumni bracket: La Familia (Kentucky alumni) vs. The Ville (Louisville alumni): July 18-22 JHX Hoops (Kansas alumni) vs. Purple Reign (Kansas State alumni): July 21-24 Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse alumni) vs. Hall In (Seton Hall alumni): July 21-24 AfterShocks (Wichita State alumni) vs. The Enchantment (New Mexico alumni): July 20-24 Notable players set to participate in this year’s tournament include Michael Beasley (Kansas State), Willie Cauley-Stein (Kentucky), Frank Mason III (Kansas), Russ Smith (Louisville), Donovan Dent (New Mexico, UCLA), Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall), and Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse). TBT’s eight non-alumni teams will compete in the Vegas Bracket at the M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas from July 22-30. The Vegas Bracket will be headlined by a team entry from two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis. The winner of the Vegas Bracket will play the winner of the Alumni Bracket on Aug. 2 at the Alumni Bracket championship’s home gym.