Ohio State University Selected as The Basketball Tournament (TBT) Regional for 2021 –

Carmen’s Crew will play on Ohio State’s campus for the first time July 23

COLUMBUS, April 14, 2021 – The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all event televised live on ESPN, today announced that the city of Columbus and Ohio State University will serve as one of the regional sites for the 2021 event. Carmen’s Crew, the Ohio State alumni team and TBT 2019 champion, will serve as a featured team in the 16-team Ohio State Regional taking place at the Covelli Center, July 23-27. Red Scare, the Dayton alumni team and TBT 2020 semifinalist, will also be a featured team in the region.

The Covelli Center was slated to host one of TBT’s regionals in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic pushed TBT to create a 24-team “bubble” in Columbus, with all games moved to Nationwide Arena. The successful bubble made TBT the first sporting event in the United States to crown a champion amidst the nationwide lockdown. Among the 24 teams in the bubble were Carmen’s Crew, who fell to House of ‘Paign, the Illinois alumni team, while attempting to defend their TBT 2019 championship.

Early commitments for the Carmen’s Crew 2021 roster include William Buford, David Lighty, Jon Diebler, and Evan Ravenel. Jared Sullinger and Evan Turner will continue to serve as the team’s general manager/head coach and assistant coach, respectively.

“Since 2017, TBT has been a summer staple for myself and my Ohio State teammates,” said Carmen’s Crew’s Diebler. “We look forward to getting back together and playing in this great event each year, and we’ve really enjoyed being able to do it in Columbus the past four years. Playing on Ohio State’s campus in front of fans for the first time since we graduated will make this year’s TBT particularly special, and we can’t wait to compete in front of a hometown crowd once again.”

Commitments for the 2021 Red Scare roster include Devin Oliver, Trey Landers, Ryan Mikesell, Kyle Davis, Darrell Davis and Kendall Pollard.

Alongside Carmen’s Crew and Red Scare, fourteen other teams will compete in the Columbus Regional from July 23-27, with all games shown on ESPN. First-round games at the Covelli Center will be played Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24. Carmen’s Crew’s first game will be in the second session of Friday’s games, and Red Scare’s first game will be in the first session of Saturday’s games. Second round games will all be played on Sunday, July 25, and two third round games will be on Tuesday, July 27.

Two teams from Columbus, as well as six other teams from TBT’s three remaining regionals, will advance to Championship Weekend at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio, from July 31-Aug. 3.

“Columbus has been home to TBT for four consecutive years and we’re excited to partner with Ohio State and the Columbus Sports Commission to bring it back for a fifth this summer,” TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar said. “We love the fans there and watching them support Carmen’s Crew. They have also been awesome supporters of TBT generally, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Columbus has more Elam Ending fans per capita than any city in the world.”

TBT 2021 will once again feature an open-application process, allowing any team or group of players in the world to apply through TheTournament.com May 1 – June 15. The 64-team, single-elimination bracket will be released on June 28. The field is expected to consist of international pros, college alumni teams, ex-NBA players, future NBA players and others. The 63 game event will take place July 16 – August 3.

For the fourth year in a row, TBT games will feature the Elam Ending, the end-of-game format adopted by the NBA All-Star game for the past two years that eliminates the game clock after a certain point and features teams playing to a Target Score.

Regional Host Cities

• Wichita, Kan. – headlined by AfterShocks (Wichita State alumni) – July 16-20
• Charleston, W.Va. – headlined by Best Virginia (West Virginia alumni) and Herd That (Marshall alumni) – July 17-21
• Columbus, Ohio – headlined by Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State alumni) and Red Scare (Dayton alumni) – July 23-27
• Peoria, Ill. – headlined by Always a Brave (Bradley Alumni) and House of ‘Paign (Illinois alumni) – July 24-28

Championship Weekend in Dayton

• Quarterfinals – Saturday, July 31
• Semifinals – Sunday, Aug. 1
• $1 Million, Winner-Take-All Championship – Tuesday, Aug. 3

Tickets for TBT summer events can be found at thetournament.com/tickets. Tickets will be sold at limited capacity in the near future in accordance with all local health and safety regulations. Further tickets may be released at a later date, pending updated guidelines and availability.

For venue-specific safety protocols, please visit thetournament.com/regions.