The Basketball Tournament is coming to Syracuse. According to TBT, Onondaga Community College has been selected as one of eight regional sites for the 64-team, winner-take-all tournament.

“I think it’s great for the community to be able to have it right there in Syracuse,” former SU player and assistant coach Eric Devendorf said in a text to The Daily Orange. “The fans have supported and traveled every year to watch us, so it’s only right for them to bring it to cuse! It’s going to be an exciting summer!”

Boeheim’s Army, a team composed of former Syracuse basketball players, has competed in the tournament every year since 2015. They’ve been coached by Liverpool (New York) High School head boys’ basketball coach Ryan Blackwell, who played at Syracuse, and have featured former SU stars like Eric Devendorf, John Gillon and Demetris Nichols, among others.

“After seeing the response in Columbus for Ohio State’s alumni team and in Richmond for VCU’s alumni team, it crossed all of our minds that Syracuse would make for an electric atmosphere,” TBT founder Jon Mugar said in a statement. “The Boeheim’s Army fan base has been so good to us over the years and it’s the least we can do to repay their loyalty. It’s truly a Field of Dreams experience when fans get to see past heroes on the court again, playing better than when they did in college.”

Boeheim’s Army is being admitted to the tournament as one of eight host teams, per a TBT press release. It’s the first year any teams are admitted ahead of time as hosts. The winner of each of the regionals will receive a prize equal to 25 percent of the region’s ticket sales, per the release, another first for TBT.

The games will take place at OCC’s SRC Arena on July 26 and 28. The Arena can seat 6,500 people, according to the OCC website.

“For years, Syracuse fans have proven to be the best in college basketball. Over the past five years they have also proven to be the best fans in TBT,” founder and GM of Boeheim’s Army Kevin Belbey said in a statement to The Daily Orange. “…We couldn’t be more excited to finally show the rest of TBT what a ‘home game’ will look like in Syracuse this summer!”

The winning team of TBT this summer will take home $2 million. After the regional rounds, the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game will take place at DePaul University in Chicago.

— Asst. Sports Editor KJ Edelman contributed reporting to this story.

Published on January 29, 2019 at 12:33 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3