The Basketball Tournament has become a summer basketball spectacle with former NBA and NCAA players competing for a $2 million grand prize. Many aspects of TBT are unique, but one of the best parts is the celebration for winners.
The Tournament puts a beautiful, gigantic bracket on the gym wall, and after each game, the winning team gets to advance its name to the next round.
https://twitter.com/BoeheimsArmy/status/889213355197698048
The #TBT2017 bracket is COMPLETE. @overseaselite have won their THIRD STRAIGHT #TBT title! #TBTBmore pic.twitter.com/oebm9A9QUT
— TBT (@thetournament) August 4, 2017
The participants love this tradition, and so do the fans, including the NCAA. On Wednesday, NCAA director of media coordination and statistics David Worlock announced the NCAA will adopt the post-game celebration starting in next year’s men’s tournament. After each game, the winning team will choose one player to advance the school’s name on a blown-up bracket near the press conference area.
FYI We are doing this. Bracket will be near press conference room. Team will decide which player gets to advance school name on bracket.
— David Worlock (@DavidWorlock) August 9, 2017
Here’s what Worlock told Syracuse.com about the decision to add the new celebration:
“Yes, we’re doing it,” Worlock said in the email. “I noticed in the The Basketball Tournament and liked the idea. Then a few weeks ago there was some chatter on Twitter from some members of the media, saying they wished we would do it during our tournament. So I obviously wasn’t the only person who thought it was a cool idea.”
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“If they (the winning team) want a senior walk-on, the star player or the star of the game, it doesn’t matter to us,” Worlock said. “We think it will be fun for the teams, fans and the media.”
This is such a win-win. The NCAA gets a new celebration to televise (and likely monetize), and The Tournament gets some more validity.
The next step involves bringing the celebration to the women’s tournament as well, and Worlock is already on it.
Great question. Going to talk to that staff about it soon.
— David Worlock (@DavidWorlock) August 9, 2017
