Boeheim’s Army was a hit last summer in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) and around Central New York, and this year the team will be back and playing for an even bigger prize. The 2016 TBT will have a $2 million prize for the winning team, doubling the prize money from last year.
The Basketball Tournament is also going to be formatted a bit differently this year. Only 64 teams will make it to the bracket (as opposed to the 97 teams who made the cut last year), and the way teams are selected are also being tweaked. Fans vote for teams they want to see in the tournament, and the top 12 vote-getters in each region (Northeast, South, Midwest and West) will get automatic bids. The other four spots in each region will be hand picked by TBT. Last year Boeheim’s Army tallied the most votes of any team and received a first round bye.
As for Boeheim’s Army, general manager Kevin Belby says the team will be back this summer.
‚ÄúHonestly, TBT is such a cool and unique event that our guys would play in it for free,” Belby told ESPN. “But the $2 million is a nice little addition. That’s change-your-life kind of money for all our players.‚Äù
But with more money there’s sure to be more competition. Along with Boeheim’s Army, teams comprised of former Notre Dame, Villanova and Virginia players have all participated in TBT before, and this year Ohio State assistant Jake Diebler told ESPN he thinks he can put together a team of Buckeyes for this year.
Boeheim’s Army made to the elite eight of last year’s tournament, and this year Belby says the team is looking to make some “new additions,” according to Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Eric Devendorf has already said he’ll be back again, and you can assume that even with new additions the team will have a lot of familiar faces. Last year’s team included Hakim Warrick, Demetris Nichols, Rick Jackson and Baye Moussa Keita among others.
Voting for The Basketball Tournament opens April 1.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
