If you’re not watching this dog-days-of-summer sporting event, you’re missing out

Yes, it’s the dog days of summer.

Whispers of college football are in the air. Yet, as close as the season is, each week seems to be dragging by.

Well, what’s the remedy for us sports fans? Turn the dial to Major League Baseball, whose viewership is in decline in 2019? Perhaps take advantage of the new UFC on ESPN showcases every Saturday night? Perhaps find some tennis or soccer?

None of those is overly enticing to me. But I’m here to tell you that we’re in the midst of a very exciting event going on that many probably are discounting.

The Basketball Tournament or TBT.

As a disclaimer, I openly admit I’m a basketball nut. However, this tournament has just enough talent and quirks to make it hard not to watch. Each year, I’ve found myself tuning in to the $2 million, winner-take-all tournament more and more.

For those not familiar, here’s the deal: Anyone not on an NBA roster can play in the 64-team field that features teams of college alumni, conferences, overseas players or just about any concoction put together.

In essence, it showcases the best athletes in the world who do not play in the NBA in an NCAA tournament-like run of madness. TBT also has some rules that differ from the NBA, like the international style of play that allows players to knock balls in the hoops cylinder without garnering a goal-tending call, nine-minute quarters and the Elam Ending.

The Elam Ending is certainly the most unique of the tournament’s quirks. Once there’s four minutes or less left in a game, it essentially resets at the first whistle. A final score target is posted, which is eight points beyond the leading team’s total, and the first team to reach that score wins. The idea is to eliminate fouling down the stretch, and it sure works.

I don’t know if you’d ever see such an ending put in place in the NBA or college, and I’m not sure I’d want to see it. However, it does make it exciting.

Another alluring feature of the tournament is the inclusion of alumni teams — Clemson’s Power of the Paw debuted this year — that attracts fan bases with true connections. Locally, many have rooted for Team Fredette — named after former college star and overseas standout Jimmer Fredette — in recent years as Coastal Carolina alumnus E.J. Gallup is on the team via connections to the Fredettes in his native New York.

Gallup once again is playing for Team Fredette, which begins play Thursday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3) against against the Cititeam Blazers. After making it to the Final Four a year ago with Fredette playing, the squad will attempt to replicate that success without the shot-making stud.

Year after year, more NBA players have gotten involved in management roles for the teams. For instance, DeMarcus Cousins is the General Manager of Loyalty is Love — which has heavy shades of Kentucky basketball and won the Lexington Regional.

There’s plenty of games to go this week leading all the way to the Aug. 6 final, where $2 million will be awarded in pre-agreed-upon shares for players, coaches, GMs and even a top fan.

If you haven’t tuned in, I advise you to give it a shot. The Basketball Tournament started as an endeavor with unknown promise. Today, it’s become a truly entertaining product that comes at the perfect time of year when little else is going on.

What do you have to lose?

This story was originally published July 23, 2019 at 4:51 PM.