LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the 64-team, $1 million winner-take-all event, announced today that Louisville will once again serve as one of the regional locations for the 2025 event. The Ville, the Louisville alumni team, will return as the featured team in the eight-team Louisville Regional. Commitments for the 2025 The Ville roster currently include Russ Smith.
TBT’s Louisville Regional will once again be sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Bourbon Company.
For the third consecutive year, Louisville will host a TBT regional, building on the success of the last two years at Freedom Hall. Freedom Hall returns as one of TBT’s best-attended venues, hosting four of the tournament’s ten largest crowds.
The Ville emerged as victors of the Louisville Regional last summer, but fell just short in the quarterfinals to La Familia (Kentucky Alumni) in front of a record setting 13,506 fans at Freedom Hall. The Ville will be led this summer by general manager Luke Hancock.
“We’re excited to be back with TBT,” said The Ville general manager Luke Hancock. “Hoops fans around Louisville have been amazing and support gives us a huge advantage. The Ville is going to take things to another level this year and we can’t wait to show the city what we’re working on. “
"Our last game at Freedom Hall featured an attendance of 13,506, which is exactly 13,489 more than were at our first game eleven years ago," said TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar. "Freedom Hall and the Louisville fanbase will always hold a special place in our heart. We can’t wait to see The Ville compete in front of their home fans again this summer."
“We’re ready to see The Ville go all the way,” said David S. Beck, president and CEO of Kentucky Venues. “This summer, fans visiting Freedom Hall will experience exciting improvements at the Kentucky Exposition Center and get a glimpse of future enhancements designed to elevate the experience for the millions of guests we welcome each year.”
The winner of the Louisville Regional will advance to TBT’s quarterfinals on July 28. The semifinals will be held on July 31, and TBT’s $1 Million championship game will be played on Sun. Aug. 3.
For the first time, TBT will give each host team the opportunity to have home court advantage for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the $1 million championship game. Should two regional hosts face off, the tie breaker will be determined by which host sells 4,000 tickets the fastest. Tickets will go on sale May 6.
Fans can sign up for ticket and team notifications at tbthoops.com/tickets/notifications.
For more information on this year’s TBT or The Ville, visit tbthoops.com.
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
Founded in 2014, The Tournament specializes in hosting high-stakes, open-application sporting events distributed across the world. Its first property, The Basketball Tournament (TBT), has crowned eleven champions, awarded more than $17 million in prizes, and ushered in innovations such as the Elam Ending®. Launched in June 2023, The Soccer Tournament (TST) marked The Tournament’s expansion beyond basketball. For more information on The Tournament and its properties, visit TheTournament.com.
