The Basketball Tournament 2025

The Basketball Tournament

2025
2025 championship game logo
Tournament information
Location	Charleston, West Virginia Harrisonburg, Virginia Indianapolis,Indiana Kansas City, Missouri Lexington, Kentucky Louisville, Kentucky Syracuse, New York Wichita, Kansas Semifinals sites Charleston, West Virginia Wichita, Kansas Championship site Charles Koch Arena (Wichita, Kansas)
Dates	July 18–August 3, 2025
Tournament format(s)	Single elimination
Participants	61 teams
Purse	Championship: US$1,000,000 winner-take-all
Final positions
Champions	AfterShocks
Runner-up	Eberlein Drive
Tournament statistics
MVP	Marcus Keene
Top scorer(s)	Gabe York (114)
Games played	60
←  2024 2026  →

The Basketball Tournament 2025 was the twelfth edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. The tournament, involving 61 teams, began on July 18 and ended on August 3. The tournament format was similar to that of the last edition in 2024 with teams playing in one of eight regionals. Twenty-six games were broadcast live on FOX, FS1, and FS2. Other games were streamed on YouTube.

Format

For its 2025 edition, TBT modified its traditional 64-team format, with first round byes in the seven-team regions. Each regional will be held at a single host site (similar in format to the NCAA Division II men's and women's tournaments). The first region to sell 4000 tickets (Louisville) earned homecourt advantage throughout the tournament, with other regions receiving similar home court advantages for ticket sales. ^[1]

The teams and the regional placements for all entrants were revealed on June 24, 2025. ^[2]

As with previous years, all tournament games operate with the "Elam Ending", a format of ending the game without use of a game clock. Under the Elam Ending, the clock is turned off at the first dead-ball whistle with 4 minutes or less to play in the game. At that time, a target score, equal to the score of the leading team (or tied teams) plus eight, is set, and the first team to reach this target score is declared the winner of the game. ^[3] Thus, all games end on a made basket (field goal or free throw) and there is no overtime.

Venues

The Basketball Tournament 2025 featured games in eight locations. Official regional names, if different from the location names, are indicated in the listings below the location names.

James Madison Kansas City Louisville Wichita Syracuse Indianapolis West Virginia Lexington class=notpageimage| Regional sites Regional and quarterfinal sites	Indianapolis	James Madison (Harrisonburg, VA)	Kansas City
	Hinkle Fieldhouse	Atlantic Union Bank Center	Municipal Arena
	Capacity: 12,012	Capacity: 8,500	Capacity: 7,300
	Lexington	Louisville	Wichita
	Memorial Coliseum	Freedom Hall	Charles Koch Arena
	Capacity: 6,250	Capacity: 18,865	Capacity: 10,506
	Syracuse	West Virginia (Charleston, WV)
	SRC Arena	Charleston Coliseum
	Capacity: 6,500	Capacity: 11,519

Teams

Source: ^[4]

TBT has a history of teams rostered primarily with alumni from specific NCAA Division I college basketball programs; 23 such teams entered the 2025 tournament. One is drawn from NCAA Division III alumni.

Name	College or sponsor affiliation	Source of team name	Region
AfterShocks	Wichita State alumni	Wichita State Shockers school nickname	Wichita
All Good Dawgs	Butler alumni	Butler Bulldogs mascot	Indianapolis
Assembly Ball	Indiana alumni	Assembly Hall home arena	Indianapolis
Austin's Own	Texas alumni	School location in Austin	Wichita
Best Virginia	West Virginia alumni		West Virginia
Boeheim's Army	Syracuse alumni	Former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim	Syracuse
Boston vs Cancer	—		Louisville
Brown Ballers	—	Made up of brown athletes	Syracuse
Carmen's Crew	Ohio State alumni	"Carmen Ohio", Ohio State's school song	Indianapolis
Challenge ALS		Raising awareness for ALS	Wichita
Court Street Kings [a]	Ohio alumni	Court Street runs through the Ohio University campus	West Virginia
DaGuys STL	—	Team YouTube channel, with players mainly from Greater St. Louis	Kansas City
Dubois Dream	—	Based out of Dubois, Pennsylvania	West Virginia
Dunkin' Dogs	Louisiana Tech alumni	Louisiana Tech Bulldogs mascot	Lexington
Eberlein Drive	—	Team owners' home street	Lexington
Elite Nation [b]	—		West Virginia
Fail Harder	—		Indianapolis
Fire Family	Sovereign Bank	TBL team Potawatomi Fire	Wichita
Florida DRC	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	Combined from Florida TNT and Team DRC from previous TBT editions.	Louisville
Forever Coogs	Houston alumni	Houston Cougars mascot	Wichita
Fort Wayne Champs	—	Players with connections to Fort Wayne, Indiana	Indianapolis
Founding Fathers	James Madison alumni	James Madison University named after a Founding Father of the United States	James Madison
GoTime Green Machine	TBL team Lebanon Leprechauns		Indianapolis
Green Mountain Men	Vermont alumni	Green Mountains run through Vermont	Syracuse
Happy Valley Hoopers	Penn State alumni	Location of the school in Happy Valley	James Madison
Heartfire	MedImpact	Arizona nonprofit HeartFire Missions, a provider of Christian medical mission trips	Kansas City
Herd That	Marshall alumni	Marshall Thundering Herd school nickname	West Virginia
Herkimer Originals	—	ABA team from Herkimer, New York	Syracuse
JHX Hoops	Kansas alumni	Variation of the Kansas Jayhawks mascot name	Kansas City
La Familia	Kentucky alumni	2009-24 Kentucky coach John Calipari's Italian heritage; also name of a UK basketball NIL collective	Lexington
Layne's Hope	—	A young man with Prader–Willi syndrome	Syracuse
Locked In Elite	—		Indianapolis
Los Angeles Ignite	—	TBL team from Los Angeles	Louisville
Love Virginia	—		James Madison
Madd Katts	—		Louisville
Magic Show	—		James Madison
No Excuses [c]	—		Wichita
NXT Era Elite [d]	—		James Madison
OffDaHook	—		Kansas City
Purple Reign	Kansas State alumni	Kansas State University school colors	Kansas City
Raleigh 919 Legends	—	Raleigh, North Carolina area code 919	James Madison
Red Rose Thunder	—	ECBL team from Lancaster, Pennsylvania	James Madison
Richards Elite	—	Ryan Richards	Lexington
Rise & Grind	—		Syracuse
Run DFW	—	Based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area	Wichita
Sheffield Sharks	B. Braun	Team based in Sheffield, England	Kansas City
Shell Shock	Maryland alumni	Associated with the Maryland Terrapins mascot	James Madison
Shield 219 [e]	Valparaiso alumni	Valparaiso, Indiana area code 219	Indianapolis
Sideline Cancer	—	Pancreatic cancer awareness	Louisville
Sikh Warriors	Singh Ahluwalia		West Virginia
Stars of Storrs	UConn alumni	Charles and Augustus Storrs, establishers of the Storrs Agricultural School (now the University of Connecticut)	Syracuse
Stroh's Squad	Bowling Green alumni	Stroh Center, Bowling Green home arena	Lexington
Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball	—	Players from the Tampa, Florida area	Lexington
Team 901	—	Memphis, Tennessee area code 901	Louisville
Team Diesel	—	Shaquille O'Neal's DJ name	Louisville
The Nawf	—	Team representing Gwinnett County, Georgia also known as "Nawf" Atlanta	West Virginia
The Shine	—		Kansas City
The Ville	Louisville alumni	City nickname	Louisville
War Ready	Auburn alumni	School battle cry "War Eagle"	Lexington
We Are D3	NCAA Division III alumni		Syracuse
X-Rayted	Primetime Radiology, LLC		Lexington

Note: team names are per the TBT bracket; some names have slight variation on TBT website pages.

1. Known in previous TBT editions as Ohio 1804.
2. Known in previous TBT editions as Takeover BC.
3. Known in previous TBT editions as Competitive Choice.
4. Known in previous TBT editions as Big 5.
5. Known in previous TBT editions as The Cru.

Tournament bracket

Seven of the eight no. 1 seeds advanced to the second-round, with no. 8 Raleigh 919 Legends upsetting Happy Valley Hoopers in the James Madison Regional.

Five no. 1 seeds advanced in second-round play; the lowest seeds to advance to the third round was no. 7 LA Ignite from the Louisville Regional and Fail Harder from the Indianapolis Regional.

One no. 1 seed advanced in third-round play: Heartfire from the Kanasas City Regional; the lowest seed to advance to the quarterfinals was again Fail Harder.

The lowest seed to advance to the semifinals was no 4. We Are D3 from the Syracuse Regional.

In the first semifinal game, Best Virginia were eliminated by Eberlein Drive, the no. 2 seed from the Lexington Regional.

In the second semifinal game, We Are D3 were eliminated by AfterShocks, the no. 2 seed from the Wichita Regional.

AfterShocks then defeated Eberlein Drive in the championship game.

Source: ^{[4] [5]}

Louisville Regional – Freedom Hall

	First Round July 19					Second Round July 20					Third Round July 23
	1	The Ville	91
	8	Boston vs Cancer	71
						1	The Ville	63
						4	Sideline Cancer	73
	4	Sideline Cancer	84
	5	Madd Katts	82
											4	Sideline Cancer	74
											7	LA Ignite	71
	6	Team 901	89
	3	Florida DRC	83
						6	Team 901	79
						7	LA Ignite	83
	2	Team Diesel	82
	7	LA Ignite	93

Lexington Regional – Memorial Coliseum

	First Round July 18					Second Round July 20					Third Round July 22
	1	La Familia	105
	8	Stroh's Squad	52
						1	La Familia	80
						4	War Ready	76
	4	War Ready	61
	5	X-Rayted	55
											1	La Familia	70
											2	Eberlein Drive	71
	3	Dunkin' Dogs	69
	6	Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball	70
						6	Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball	68
						2	Eberlein Drive	86
	2	Eberlein Drive	81
	7	Richards Elite	63

James Madison Regional – Atlantic Union Bank Center

	First Round July 18					Second Round July 20					Third Round July 22
	1	Happy Valley Hoopers	75
	8	Raleigh 919 Legends	79
						8	Raleigh 919 Legends	44
						5	NXT Era Elite	70
	4	Founding Fathers	64
	5	NXT Era Elite	82
											5	NXT Era Elite	62
											2	Shell Shock	68
	3	Red Rose Thunder	70
	6	Magic Show	59
						3	Red Rose Thunder	78
						2	Shell Shock	81
	2	Shell Shock	75
	7	Love Virginia	74

West Virginia Regional – Charleston Coliseum

	First Round July 18					Second Round July 20					Third Round July 22
						1	Elite Nation	88
						4	Court Street Kings	85
	4	Court Street Kings	74
	5	The Nawf	62
											1	Elite Nation	68
											3	Best Virginia	79
	3	Best Virginia	72
	6	Dubois Dream	69
						3	Best Virginia	82
						2	Herd That	75
	2	Herd That	84
	7	Sikh Warriors	71

Wichita Regional – Charles Koch Arena

	First Round July 18					Second Round July 20					Third Round July 22
						1	Forever Coogs	82
						4	Fire Family	69
	4	Fire Family	85
	5	Run DFW	65
											1	Forever Coogs	63
											2	AfterShocks	66
	3	Challenge ALS	75
	6	Austin's Own	73
						3	Challenge ALS	68
						2	AfterShocks	85
	2	AfterShocks	74
	7	No Excuses	51

Kansas City Regional – Municipal Arena

	First Round July 19					Second Round July 21					Third Round July 23
						1	Heartfire	89
						4	Sheffield Sharks	70
	4	Sheffield Sharks	70
	5	DaGuys STL	64
											1	Heartfire	71
											2	JHX Hoops	68
	3	Purple Reign	85
	6	The Shine	84
						3	Purple Reign	77
						2	JHX Hoops	79
	2	JHX Hoops	91
	7	OffDaHook	78

Syracuse Regional – SRC Arena

	First Round July 19					Second Round July 21					Third Round July 23
	1	Boeheim's Army	97
	8	Herkimer Originals	71
						1	Boeheim's Army	78
						4	We Are D3	81
	4	We Are D3	75
	5	Layne's Hope	71
											4	We Are D3	76
											2	Stars of Storrs	68
	3	Green Mountain Men	66
	6	Rise and Grind	64
						3	Green Mountain Men	76
						2	Stars of Storrs	78
	2	Stars of Storrs	90
	7	Brown Ballers	78

Indianapolis Regional – Hinkle Fieldhouse

	First Round July 19					Second Round July 21					Third Round July 22
	1	Carmen's Crew	78
	8	Gotime Green Machine	67
						1	Carmen's Crew	73
						5	Fort Wayne Champs	69
	4	Locked In Elite	56
	5	Fort Wayne Champs	103
											1	Carmen's Crew	62
											7	Fail Harder	68
	3	All Good Dawgs	77
	6	Shield 219	69
						3	All Good Dawgs	77
						7	Fail Harder	80
	2	Assembly Ball	76
	7	Fail Harder	89

Championship Week

All quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games will be played at the venue with the highest ticket sales. ^[1]

Quarterfinals July 27–28

Semifinals July 31

Championship August 3

LV 4

Sideline Cancer

75

LX 2

Eberlein Drive

88

LX 2

Eberlein Drive

85

West Virginia

WV 3

Best Virginia

77

JM 2

Shell Shock

61

WV 3

Best Virginia

74

LX 2

Eberlein Drive

67

WT 2

AfterShocks

82

WT 2

AfterShocks

74

KC 1

Heartfire

68

WT 2

AfterShocks

66

Wichita

SC 4

We Are D3

54

SC 4

We Are D3

95

IN 7

Fail Harder

93

Semifinals

FS1

July 31, 2025 6:00 p.m. EDT

Stats

LX 2Eberlein Drive85, WV 3 Best Virginia 77
Scoring by quarter:21–18, 16–22, 27–21, 13–14
Pts: G. York 25 Rebs: T. Taylor, J. Watson 7 Asts: A. Clemmons 8		Pts: J. Reese V 15 Rebs: J. Weatherspoon, J. West 4 Asts: J. West 8

Charleston Coliseum Charleston, West Virginia Attendance: 3,451 Referees: Clarence Armstrong, Bill Covington, Earl Walton

FS1

July 31, 2025 8:00 p.m. EDT

Stats

SC 4 We Are D3 54, WT 2AfterShocks66
Scoring by quarter: 12–14, 5–21, 21–12, 11–11
Pts: T. Nichols 14 Rebs: D. Underwood 8 Asts: T. Nichols 7		Pts: J. Woodard 12 Rebs: M. Santos-Silva 6 Asts: C. Frankamp, J. Woodard 3

Charles Koch Arena Wichita, Kansas

Championship

FOX

August 3, 2025 4:00 p.m. EDT

Stats

LX 2 Eberlein Drive 67, WT 2AfterShocks82
Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 17–25, 21–21, 6–7
Pts: J. Watson 14 Rebs: T. Taylor 7 Asts: A. Clemmons 2		Pts: M. Keene 22 Rebs: N. Sibande 6 Asts: M. Santos-Silva, C. Frankamp 4

Charles Koch Arena Wichita, Kansas Attendance: 9,029 Referees: Clarence Armstrong, Earl Walton, Wes Moore

Awards

All Tournament Team

Pos	Player	Team
PG	Nike Sibande	AfterShocks
PG	Darius Adams	Fail Harder
SG	James Reese V	Best Virginia
SG	Gabe York	Eberlein Drive
PG	Marcus Keene	AfterShocks
Coach	Michael Rejniak	We Are D3
GM	Matt Mitchell / Jacob Hirschman	Eberlein Drive

Source: ^[6]

References

1. "Home Court Advantage - The Basketball Tournament" . Retrieved June 20, 2025.
2. "The Basketball Tournament (TBT) Releases 2025 Bracket". The Basketball Tournament. June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
3. Selig, David. "What is the Elam Ending?". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
4. "TBT 2025 Bracket". thetournament.com. 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
5. "TBT 2025 Schedule". thetournament.com. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
6. "Your TBT 2025 All-Tournament Team". X. August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.

External links

• Official website