# The Basketball Tournament 2023

The Basketball Tournament 2023 was the tenth 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 64 teams, began on July 19 and ended on August 3 with the championship game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The tournament format was similar to that of the last edition in 2022—64 teams, each playing in one of eight regionals.
The event had a "championship week", starting with the regional winners advancing to quarterfinals at one of four sites, Dayton, Louisville, Wheeling, WV, and Wichita. The quarterfinal winners then traveled to Philadelphia for the semifinals and championship game. Heartfire, a team sponsored by MedImpact, won the tournament.

## Format

For its 2023 edition, TBT retained its traditional 64-team format and eight-region format, with each regional involving eight teams at a single host site (similar in format to the NCAA Division II men's and women's tournaments). Wichita is serving as host for two separate regionals.
In a feature it calls "Run It Back", TBT organizers invited all teams that won first-round games in the 2022 edition to play in 2023. The remaining teams, and the regional placements for all entrants, were revealed in a selection special hosted by Andrew Zoldan with analyst Seth Greenberg that aired on TBT's YouTube channel on June 21, 2023.
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. Thus, all games end on a made basket (field goal or free throw) and there is no overtime.

## Venues

The Basketball Tournament 2023 featured games in eight locations, seven of which hosted a regional. The eighth hosted the championship weekend (two semifinal contests and the championship game). Official regional names, if different from the location names, are indicated in the listings below the location names.
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site |
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site | Cincinnati (Xavier) | Lubbock | Syracuse | Dayton |
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site | Cintas Center | United Supermarkets Arena | The Oncenter | UD Arena |
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site | Capacity: 10,224 | Capacity: 15,300 | Capacity: 7,000 | Capacity: 13,409 |
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site | Louisville | Wheeling (West Virginia) | Wichita | Philadelphia (Championship) |
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site | Freedom Hall | WesBanco Arena | Charles Koch Arena | Daskalakis Athletic Center |
| CincinnatiLubbockSyracuseDaytonLouisvilleWheelingWichitaPhiladelphiaclass=notpageimage| Regional sites only Regional and quarterfinal site Championship site | Capacity: 18,865 | Capacity: 5,406 | Capacity: 10,506 | Capacity: 2,509 |

## Teams

Source:
TBT has a history of teams rostered primarily with alumni from specific NCAA Division I college basketball programs; 33 such teams entered the 2023 tournament. Three other teams were rostered primarily with alumni from groups of NCAA basketball programs sharing a common bond. Two mostly consist of alumni from a specific Division I conference, one is drawn from a group of historic basketball rivals, another is drawn from NCAA Division III alumni, and the last is drawn from historically black colleges and universities.
| Name | College or sponsor affiliation | Source of team name | Region |
| AfterShocks | Wichita State alumni | School nickname of Shockers | Wichita 2 |
| Air Raiders | Texas Tech alumni | School nickname of Red Raiders | Lubbock |
| Athletics Miami | — | Team sponsor Athletics Miami, a basketball facility | Dayton |
| Austin's Own | Texas alumni | School location in Austin | Lubbock |
| B1 Ballers | — | | Wichita 2 |
| Beale Street Boys | Memphis alumni | Street where school arena is located | Wichita 2 |
| Best Virginia | West Virginia alumni | | West Virginia |
| Big 5 | Philadelphia Big 5 alumni | | Syracuse |
| Bleed Green | North Texas alumni | School nickname of Mean Green | Lubbock |
| Blue Collar U | Buffalo alumni | Primary school color, plus city's blue-collar image | Syracuse |
| Boeheim's Army | Syracuse alumni | Former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim | Syracuse |
| Broad Street Birds | Temple alumni | Street where school arena is located, Owl mascot | Wichita 2 |
| Bucketneers | ETSU alumni | School nickname of Buccaneers | Xavier |
| Carmen's Crew | Ohio State alumni | "Carmen Ohio", Ohio State's school song | Dayton |
| Challenge ALS: Florida | — | Combination of former teams Challenge ALS and Florida TNT | West Virginia |
| The Commonwealth | UMass alumni | Commonwealth of Massachusetts | Syracuse |
| DaGuys STL | — | Team YouTube channel, with players mainly from Greater St. Louis | Wichita 2 |
| DawgTown | Georgetown alumni | Team mascot Jack the Bulldog | West Virginia |
| Dubois Dream | — | Based out of Dubois, Pennsylvania | West Virginia |
| Eberlein Drive | — | Team owners' home street | Louisville |
| The Enchantment | New Mexico alumni | State nickname, "Land of Enchantment" | Lubbock |
| Fort Wayne Champs | — | Players with connections to Fort Wayne, Indiana | Xavier |
| Friday Beers | Armored Athlete | | Dayton |
| Gataverse | Florida alumni | Florida Gators mascot | Louisville |
| Georgia Kingz | — | Players with connections to the state of Georgia | Xavier |
| Gutter Cat Gang | — | Team sponsor Gutter Cat Gang, an NFT company | Louisville |
| Happy Valley Hoopers | Penn State alumni | Location of the school in Happy Valley | Syracuse |
| HBCUnited | HBCU alumni | | Lubbock |
| Heartfire | MedImpact | Arizona nonprofit HeartFire Missions, a provider of Christian medical mission trips | Wichita 1 |
| Herd That | Marshall alumni | School nickname of Thundering Herd | West Virginia |
| India Rising | — | Players of Indian origin | Dayton |
| In the Lab | — | In The Lab, a basketball content creation company | Lubbock |
| Jackson TN Underdawgs | — | Players with connections to Jackson, Tennessee | Louisville |
| Juco Products | — | Players with connections to Junior colleges | Wichita 1 |
| LA Cheaters | Drew League | | Wichita 1 |
| Living the Dream | — | | Wichita 1 |
| Mass Street | Kansas alumni | Short for Massachusetts Street, the main street through the central business district of the school's home of Lawrence | Wichita 1 |
| Men of Mackey | Purdue alumni | Purdue home court Mackey Arena | Dayton |
| The Money Team | TMT | Team sponsor Floyd "Money" Mayweather | Xavier |
| Nasty Nati | Cincinnati alumni | Nickname of the city of Cincinnati | Xavier |
| The Nawf | — | Players with connections to Gwinnett County, Georgia | Louisville |
| The Nerd Team | — | Players from "more prestigious" universities | Syracuse |
| The Program for Autism | — | The Program NYC, a youth basketball initiative | Xavier |
| Purple & Black | Kansas State alumni | School colors | Wichita 2 |
| Purple Hearts | — | Gun violence awareness | Lubbock |
| Ram Nation | VCU alumni | School nickname of Rams | West Virginia |
| Ram Up | Colorado State alumni | School nickname of Rams | Wichita 2 |
| Red Scare | Dayton alumni | Name of Dayton student section | Dayton |
| The Rhody Way | Rhode Island alumni | School mascot Rhody the Ram | Dayton |
| Rise & Grind | — | | Lubbock |
| Shell Shock | Maryland alumni | Maryland Terrapins school mascot | Louisville |
| Show Me Squad | Missouri alumni | Missouri state nickname "Show Me State" | Wichita 1 |
| Sideline Cancer | — | Pancreatic cancer awareness | West Virginia |
| Team Arkansas | Arkansas alumni | | Wichita 2 |
| Team Colorado | Colorado alumni | | Dayton |
| Team DRC | Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | | Xavier |
| Team Gibson | — | Team sponsor Taj Gibson | Syracuse |
| Team Overtime | Overtime | Team sponsor Overtime, a sports media company | Dayton |
| The Ville | Louisville alumni | City nickname | Louisville |
| Vegas Rebellion | UNLV alumni | Vegas Rebels school mascot | Wichita 1 |
| Virginia Dream | — | Players with connections to the state of Virginia | Syracuse |
| War Ready | Auburn alumni | School battle cry "War Eagle" | Louisville |
| We Are D3 | NCAA Division III alumni | | Wichita 1 |
| Zip Em Up | Xavier alumni | Former Xavier team motto | Xavier |
| Zoo Crew | Pittsburgh alumni | Oakland Zoo student section | West Virginia |
Note: team names are per the TBT bracket; some names have slight variation on TBT website pages.
* ↑ Known in previous TBT editions as Armored Athlete.
* ↑ Known in previous TBT editions as Team Hines.
* ↑ Withdrew from the tournament July 22.

## Tournament bracket

Seven of the eight no. 1 seeds advanced in first-round play, with no. 8 India Rising upsetting Red Scare in the Dayton Regional.
Five no. 1 seeds advanced in second-round play; the lowest seed to advance to the third round was no 6. Nasti Nati from the Dayton Regional.
Two no. 1 seeds advanced in third-round play; the lowest seed to advance to the quarterfinals was again Nasti Nati.
No no. 1 seeds won a quarterfinal match; the lowest seed to advance to the semifinals was no 4. Herd That from the West Virginia Regional.
In the first semifinal game, Herd That were eliminated by Heartfire, the no. 2 seed from the Wichita 1 Regional.
In the second semifinal game, Friday Beers were eliminated by Bleed Green, the no. 2 seed from the Lubbock Regional.
Heartfire then defeated Bleed Green in the championship game.
Source:

### Lubbock Regional – United Supermarkets Arena

| First Round July 19 | First Round July 19 | First Round July 19 | Second Round July 21 | Second Round July 21 | Second Round July 21 | Third Round July 23 | Third Round July 23 | Third Round July 23 |
| 1 | Air Raiders | 83 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Purple Hearts | 64 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Purple Hearts | 64 | 1 | Air Raiders | 67 | | | |
| | | | 4 | The Enchantment | 84 | | | |
| 4 | The Enchantment | 77 | 4 | The Enchantment | 84 | | | |
| 5 | Austin's Own | 66 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Austin's Own | 66 | | | | 4 | The Enchantment | 57 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Bleed Green | 70 |
| 3 | HBCUnited | 58 | | | | | | | 2 | Bleed Green | 70 |
| 6 | In The Lab | 88 | | | | | | |
| 6 | In The Lab | 88 | 6 | In The Lab | 72 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Bleed Green | 83 | | | |
| 2 | Bleed Green | 94 | 2 | Bleed Green | 83 | | | |
| 7 | Rise & Grind | 78 | | | | | | |

### Wichita 1 Regional – Charles Koch Arena

| First Round July 19 | First Round July 19 | First Round July 19 | Second Round July 22 | Second Round July 22 | Second Round July 22 | Third Round July 23 | Third Round July 23 | Third Round July 23 |
| 1 | Mass Street | 70 | | | | | | |
| 8 | We Are D3 | 67 | | | | | | |
| 8 | We Are D3 | 67 | 1 | Mass Street | 69 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Show Me Squad | 65 | | | |
| 4 | Show Me Squad | 96 | 4 | Show Me Squad | 65 | | | |
| 5 | Vegas Rebellion | 90 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Vegas Rebellion | 90 | | | | 1 | Mass Street | 60 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Heartfire | 73 |
| 3 | LA Cheaters | 86 | | | | | | | 2 | Heartfire | 73 |
| 6 | Living The Dream | 72 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Living The Dream | 72 | 3 | LA Cheaters | 57 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Heartfire | 62 | | | |
| 2 | Heartfire | 69 | 2 | Heartfire | 62 | | | |
| 7 | JUCO Products | 66 | | | | | | |

### Wichita 2 Regional – Charles Koch Arena

| First Round July 20 | First Round July 20 | First Round July 20 | Second Round July 21 | Second Round July 21 | Second Round July 21 | Third Round July 23 | Third Round July 23 | Third Round July 23 |
| 1 | AfterShocks | 66 | | | | | | |
| 8 | B1 Ballers | 54 | | | | | | |
| 8 | B1 Ballers | 54 | 1 | AfterShocks | 73 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Beale Street Boys | 69 | | | |
| 4 | Beale Street Boys | 73 | 4 | Beale Street Boys | 69 | | | |
| 5 | Broad Street Birds | 67 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Broad Street Birds | 67 | | | | 1 | AfterShocks | 63 |
| | | | | | | 3 | Team Arkansas | 59 |
| 3 | Team Arkansas | 70 | | | | | | | 3 | Team Arkansas | 59 |
| 6 | Ram Up | 58 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Ram Up | 58 | 3 | Team Arkansas | 63 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Purple & Black | 52 | | | |
| 2 | Purple & Black | 72 | 2 | Purple & Black | 52 | | | |
| 7 | DaGuys STL | 59 | | | | | | |

### Xavier Regional – Cintas Center (Cincinnati)

| First Round July 21 | First Round July 21 | First Round July 21 | Second Round July 22 | Second Round July 22 | Second Round July 22 | Third Round July 24 | Third Round July 24 | Third Round July 24 |
| 1 | Program for Autism | 91 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Team DRC | 76 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Team DRC | 76 | 1 | Program for Autism | 86 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Fort Wayne Champs | 74 | | | |
| 4 | Bucketneers | 52 | 5 | Fort Wayne Champs | 74 | | | |
| 5 | Fort Wayne Champs | 85 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Fort Wayne Champs | 85 | | | | 1 | Program for Autism | 51 |
| | | | | | | 6 | Nasty Nati | 76 |
| 3 | The Money Team | 76 | | | | | | | 6 | Nasty Nati | 76 |
| 6 | Nasty Nati | 88 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Nasty Nati | 88 | 6 | Nasty Nati | 77 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Zip Em Up | 73 | | | |
| 2 | Zip Em Up | 84 | 2 | Zip Em Up | 73 | | | |
| 7 | Georgia Kingz | 78 | | | | | | |

### Syracuse Regional – The Oncenter

| First Round July 24 | First Round July 24 | First Round July 24 | Second Round July 26 | Second Round July 26 | Second Round July 26 | Third Round July 28 | Third Round July 28 | Third Round July 28 |
| 1 | Blue Collar U | 78 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Big 5 | 77 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Big 5 | 77 | 1 | Blue Collar U | 107 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Virginia Dream | 86 | | | |
| 4 | Virginia Dream | 79 | 4 | Virginia Dream | 86 | | | |
| 5 | The Commonwealth | 73 | | | | | | |
| 5 | The Commonwealth | 73 | | | | 1 | Blue Collar U | 54 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Boeheim's Army | 69 |
| 3 | The Nerd Team | 54 | | | | | | | 2 | Boeheim's Army | 69 |
| 6 | Happy Valley Hoopers | 49 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Happy Valley Hoopers | 49 | 3 | The Nerd Team | 75 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Boeheim's Army | 83 | | | |
| 2 | Boeheim's Army | 99 | 2 | Boeheim's Army | 83 | | | |
| 7 | Team Gibson | 83 | | | | | | |

### Louisville Regional – Freedom Hall

| First Round July 25 | First Round July 25 | First Round July 25 | Second Round July 27 | Second Round July 27 | Second Round July 27 | Third Round July 29 | Third Round July 29 | Third Round July 29 |
| 1 | Gutter Cats | 77 | | | | | | |
| 8 | The Nawf | 72 | | | | | | |
| 8 | The Nawf | 72 | 1 | Gutter Cats | 71 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Shell Shock | 57 | | | |
| 4 | Shell Shock | 77 | 4 | Shell Shock | 57 | | | |
| 5 | Gataverse | 74 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Gataverse | 74 | | | | 1 | Gutter Cats | 64 |
| | | | | | | 2 | The Ville | 62 |
| 3 | Eberlein Drive | 68 | | | | | | | 2 | The Ville | 62 |
| 6 | Jackson TN Underdawgs | 88 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Jackson TN Underdawgs | 88 | 6 | Jackson TN Underdawgs | 74 | | | |
| | | | 2 | The Ville | 79 | | | |
| 2 | The Ville | 91 | 2 | The Ville | 79 | | | |
| 7 | War Ready | 67 | | | | | | |

### West Virginia Regional – WesBanco Arena (Wheeling)

| First Round July 25 | First Round July 25 | First Round July 25 | Second Round July 27 | Second Round July 27 | Second Round July 27 | Third Round July 29 | Third Round July 29 | Third Round July 29 |
| 1 | Best Virginia | 70 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Dubois Dream | 68 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Dubois Dream | 68 | 1 | Best Virginia | 61 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Herd That | 74 | | | |
| 4 | Herd That | 86 | 4 | Herd That | 74 | | | |
| 5 | Zoo Crew | 71 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Zoo Crew | 71 | | | | 4 | Herd That | 73 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Sideline Cancer | 64 |
| 3 | Challenge ALS: Florida | 95 | | | | | | | 2 | Sideline Cancer | 64 |
| 6 | Dawg Town | 66 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Dawg Town | 66 | 3 | Challenge ALS: Florida | 51 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Sideline Cancer | 60 | | | |
| 2 | Sideline Cancer | 83 | 2 | Sideline Cancer | 60 | | | |
| 7 | Ram Nation | 72 | | | | | | |

### Dayton Regional – UD Arena

| First Round July 26 | First Round July 26 | First Round July 26 | Second Round July 28 | Second Round July 28 | Second Round July 28 | Third Round July 29 | Third Round July 29 | Third Round July 29 |
| 1 | Red Scare | 67 | | | | | | |
| 8 | India Rising | 77 | | | | | | |
| 8 | India Rising | 77 | 8 | India Rising | 56 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Carmen's Crew | 82 | | | |
| 4 | Carmen's Crew | 80 | 4 | Carmen's Crew | 82 | | | |
| 5 | Team Overtime | 68 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Team Overtime | 68 | | | | 4 | Carmen's Crew | 63 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Friday Beers | 72 |
| 3 | Team Colorado | 68 | | | | | | | 2 | Friday Beers | 72 |
| 6 | Men of Mackey | 70 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Men of Mackey | 70 | 6 | Men of Mackey | 68 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Friday Beers | 73 | | | |
| 2 | Friday Beers | 84 | 2 | Friday Beers | 73 | | | |
| 7 | Athletics Miami | 72 | | | | | | |

### Championship Week

Quarterfinals games were played at Wichita, West Virginia, Dayton, and Louisville. All semifinal and championship games were played in Philadelphia.
| Quarterfinals July 25–31 | Quarterfinals July 25–31 | Quarterfinals July 25–31 | Semifinals August 2 | Semifinals August 2 | Semifinals August 2 | Championship August 3 | Championship August 3 | Championship August 3 |
| W1 2 | Heartfire | 76 | | | | | | |
| W2 1 | Aftershocks | 53 | | | | | | |
| W2 1 | Aftershocks | 53 | W1 2 | Heartfire | 73 | | | |
| | | | WV 4 | Herd That | 68 | | | |
| SY 2 | Boeheim's Army | 71 | WV 4 | Herd That | 68 | | | |
| WV 4 | Herd That | 88 | | | | | | |
| WV 4 | Herd That | 88 | | | | W1 2 | Heartfire | 78 |
| | | | | | | LB 2 | Bleed Green | 73 |
| XV 6 | Nasty Nati | 66 | | | | | | | LB 2 | Bleed Green | 73 |
| DY 2 | Friday Beers | 72 | | | | | | |
| DY 2 | Friday Beers | 72 | DY 2 | Friday Beers | 65 | | | |
| | | | LB 2 | Bleed Green | 68 | | | |
| LB 2 | Bleed Green | 72 | LB 2 | Bleed Green | 68 | | | |
| LV 1 | Gutter Cats | 61 | | | | | | |
Eric Collins, Fran Fraschilla, and Ashley ShaAhmadi were the announcers for both semifinal matches and the championship game.

#### Semifinals

* ESPN
* August 2, 2023 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Stats, Recap
W1 2 Heartfire 73, WV 4 Herd That 68 :
| Scoring by quarter: 9–16, 25–12, 26–17, 13–23 |||
| Pts: T. Mack, R. Putney 14 Rebs: R. Solomon, E. Griffin 8 Asts: R. Putney 3 | Pts: J. Tokoto 27 Rebs: J. Tokoto 9 Asts: J. Elmore 5 |
* Daskalakis Athletic Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* ESPN3
* August 2, 2023 9:00 p.m. EDT
* Stats, Recap
DY 1 Friday Beers 65, LB 2 Bleed Green 68 :
| Scoring by quarter: 17–14, 12–19, 15–19, 21–16 |||
| Pts: J. Gamble 20 Rebs: J. Gamble 13 Asts: D. Bost 5 | Pts: J. Stevens 18 Rebs: T. Bell, B. Reed 4 Asts: B. Jefferson 7 |
* Daskalakis Athletic Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#### Championship

* ESPN3
* August 3, 2023 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Stats Recap
W1 2 Heartfire 78, LB 2 Bleed Green 73 :
| Scoring by quarter: 21–18, 26–16, 15–20, 16–19 |||
| Pts: E. Griffin 23 Rebs: C. Sword, E. Griffin 7 Asts: R. Putney 3 | Pts: K. Huntsberry 23 Rebs: T. Bell 8 Asts: B. Jefferson, T. Bell 5 |
* Daskalakis Athletic Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

## Awards

All Tournament Team :
| Pos | Player | Team |
| PG | Jordan Stevens | Bleed Green |
| PG | Jon Elmore | Herd That |
| SG | Jarron Cumberland | Nasti Nati |
| PG | Marcus Hall | Heartfire |
| PF | Julian Gamble | Friday Beers |
| Coach | LaPhonso Ellis | Heartfire |
| GM | AJ Mahar | Friday Beers |
Source: