And then there were four.
The Basketball Tournament, an open-application, 5-on-5 single-elimination showcase, began at the beginning of July with 97 teams vying for the $1 million grand prize. Now, only four remain for the August 1 semifinals and August 2 championship.
In the first semifinal from Fordham University in New York, the Ants Alumni will take on Team 23. The former features players from the 2013-14 NBA D-League champion Fort Wayne Mad Ants, while Team 23 is the only double-digit seed left in the tournament.
The second semi pits Overseas Elite against Team City of Gods. Elite has been led by Errick McCollum, the older brother of Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. who once scored a record 82 points in China. City of Gods, coached by Joe Connelly, whose brother, Tim, is the general manager of the Denver Nuggets, has five players with NBA experience, Mike Sweetney, DerMarr Johnson, Xavier Silas, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Hamaday N’Diaye.
This tournament has quickly skyrocketed in popularity, and the semifinals and finals will both be broadcast live on ESPN with Mark Jones, Fran Fraschilla and Jeff Goodman on the call. If you can’t get to a TV, here’s how to watch online and on mobile:
Watch The Basketball Tournament Online
Former Northern Illinois star and NBA player Xavier Silas has been a leader for Team City of Gods. (Getty)
Semifinal 1: Ants Alumni vs. Team 23 (Saturday, August 1 at 2 p.m. ET)
Semifinal 2: Overseas Elite vs. Team City of Gods (Saturday, August 1 at 4 p.m. ET)
Final: TBD vs. TBD (Sunday, August 2 at 3 p.m. ET)
If you have the log-in info for a cable subscription with access to Watch ESPN, you can watch the games at WatchESPN.com. You’ll need a cable log-in and password, or the log-in and password of someone you know, to access the stream.
Watch The Basketball Tournament on Mobile
Myck Kabongo, former point guard for Texas, leads Overseas Elite. (Getty)
Mobile and tablet users with access to Watch ESPN can watch the games on the Watch ESPN app. As is the case with desktop, you’ll need the log-in for a cable subscription with access to ESPN. You can download the app for free in the App Store , the Google Play store, the Amazon App store or the Windows Store.