The Basketball Tournament 2025 was the twelfth edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. The tournament, involving 61 teams, began on July 18 and ended on August 3. The tournament format was similar to that of the last edition in 2024 with teams playing in one of eight regionals. Twenty-six games were broadcast live on FOX, FS1, and FS2. Other games were streamed on YouTube.
For its 2025 edition, TBT modified its traditional 64-team format, with first round byes in the seven-team regions. Each regional will be held at a single host site (similar in format to the NCAA Division II men's and women's tournaments). The first region to sell 4000 tickets (Louisville) earned homecourt advantage throughout the tournament, with other regions receiving similar home court advantages for ticket sales.
The teams and the regional placements for all entrants were revealed on June 24, 2025.
As with previous years, all tournament games operate with the "Elam Ending", a format of ending the game without use of a game clock. Under the Elam Ending, the clock is turned off at the first dead-ball whistle with 4 minutes or less to play in the game. At that time, a target score, equal to the score of the leading team (or tied teams) plus eight, is set, and the first team to reach this target score is declared the winner of the game. Thus, all games end on a made basket (field goal or free throw) and there is no overtime.
The Basketball Tournament 2025 featured games in eight locations. Official regional names, if different from the location names, are indicated in the listings below the location names.
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TBT has a history of teams rostered primarily with alumni from specific NCAA Division I college basketball programs; 23 such teams entered the 2025 tournament. One is drawn from NCAA Division III alumni.
Note: team names are per the TBT bracket; some names have slight variation on TBT website pages.
Seven of the eight no. 1 seeds advanced to the second-round, with no. 8 Raleigh 919 Legends upsetting Happy Valley Hoopers in the James Madison Regional.
Five no. 1 seeds advanced in second-round play; the lowest seeds to advance to the third round was no. 7 LA Ignite from the Louisville Regional and Fail Harder from the Indianapolis Regional.
One no. 1 seed advanced in third-round play: Heartfire from the Kanasas City Regional; the lowest seed to advance to the quarterfinals was again Fail Harder.
The lowest seed to advance to the semifinals was no 4. We Are D3 from the Syracuse Regional.
In the first semifinal game, Best Virginia were eliminated by Eberlein Drive, the no. 2 seed from the Lexington Regional.
In the second semifinal game, We Are D3 were eliminated by AfterShocks, the no. 2 seed from the Wichita Regional.
AfterShocks then defeated Eberlein Drive in the championship game.
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All quarterfinal, semifinal and championship games will be played at the venue with the highest ticket sales.
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