The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is seeking NCAA approval to participate in The Basketball Tournament, a single-elimination event featuring former college basketball players.
Tournament Overview
- The tournament offers a $1 million prize to the winning team and has been held annually since 2014.
- It often features teams composed of former college or professional players representing their alma maters.
NCAA Waiver Request
- Green Bay is requesting an NCAA waiver to compete in the tournament instead of going on an international tour.
- Under current NCAA rules, college teams are permitted one overseas trip every four years for exhibition games.
Athletic Director’s Statement
Josh Moon, Green Bay’s athletic director, stated:
"We’re not looking at this as a way for us to make money. If we were able to win this thing and get $1 million back into our program, we’d probably give it all back."
- Moon emphasized that any potential prize money would likely be donated back into their program or used for charitable purposes.
Previous Attempts
- This is not Green Bay’s first attempt at participating in The Basketball Tournament. Last year, they made a similar request but received a denial from the NCAA too late for school officials’ appeal.
Last Year’s Tournament
- Carmen’s Crew, an Ohio State alumni team led by former Buckeyes star Darius Morris, won last year’s title, defeating the Texas Tech Alumni Team 67-58 in overtime on Aug. 5 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
Ongoing Efforts
- The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has been working with TBT organizers since February 2022 regarding participation possibilities but faced another denial from the NCAA earlier this month. This denial was largely due to the lack of time before TBT’s July start date for school officials’ appeal process through its national office based in Indianapolis.
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