Former Marquette players Luke Fischer, Dwight Buycks and Jamil Wilson with new teams in TBT

It's the point of the summer when there aren't many sports options on at night, the NFL season is in the near distance, TV reruns are in full swing and there's not much left to watch on streaming services.

But for three weeks, there is The Basketball Tournament, and there's nothing like it.

Here are some things to know leading into the second weekend, which features some Wisconsin-tied players:

What is The Basketball Tournament?

Imagine March Madness but slightly on steroids.

Founded in 2014 by Jonathan Mugar, TBT is a single-elimination basketball tournament that is comprised of 64 teams and a $1 million prize.

The first TBT tournament was played at Thomas Jefferson University, formerly known as Philadelphia University, with the Notre Dame Fighting Alumni team winning it. Last year, TBT made history as it brought the tournament outdoors for the first time to legendary Rucker Park, commonly known as "The Mecca of Basketball" in New York. Players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Wilt Chamberlain, Earl Monroe, Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Pee Wee Kirkland are some of the many players who were discovered at Rucker Park.

TBT expanded this past year, hosting the first The Soccer Tournament — 7 players on each team, 32-teams overall, a million-dollar winner-take-all tournament — in Cary, North Carolina. Newtown Pride FC, an amateur American soccer team based in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, won the tournament.

This year's basketball tournament features seven regional locations — Dayton, Louisville, Lubbock, Syracuse, West Virginia, Wichita and Xavier — with the championship in Philadelphia at Drexel University. Games run through Aug. 3rd.

Who plays in The Basketball Tournament?

It's open to everyone, however, many teams that competed in the field are either college alumni teams or teams that are playing for a cause.

This year's tournament features 75 players with NBA experience and 34 college alumni teams, both of which are tournament records.

Marquette's Alumni Team, which is not competing this year for the first time since 2016, won it all in 2020 when Fond du Lac native Travis Diener hit the game-winning shot.

The TBT involves the 'Elam Ending.' What is that?

First things first, it's awesome.

Each TBT is comprised of four nine-minute quarters, sounds normal right? Well, there's a catch.

When a game reaches the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the game stops at the next change of possession or a timeout called by the leading team. This is when the "Elam Ending," which was added to all tournament games in 2018, kicks in.

The 'Elam Ending' is a targeted score, which is set by adding eight points to the leading team’s score. There is no clock in the 'Elam Ending', just the targeted score. The first team to reach it wins.

It really puts an emphasis on defense and makes for a fun ending to the game.

For example, Blue Collar U, the University of Buffalo Alumni Team, was down 70-60 when the 'Elam Ending' went into effect in its first-round matchup this year against Big 5. But an 18-8 run in the 'Elam Ending' by the defending TBT champions sent them to the next round, marking the largest comeback deficit in 'Elam Ending' history.

Blue Collar U erases 12-point deficit for stunning comeback - ESPN Video

The NBA adopted the "Elam Ending" in 2020 when it revamped its All-Star Game.

What do you win if you win The Basketball Tournament?

The winning team wins $1 million dollars, which is split up into individual shares amongst all members of the team.

Where can you watch The Basketball Tournament?

The ESPN family of networks.

Are there any Wisconsin-tied players remaining in the field?

Plenty.

With Marquette's team not competing this season, several of its players are suiting up for different teams this summer.

One of those teams is Milwaukee native and former Golden Eagle Luke Fischer, who is playing for Herd That, Marshall University's Alumni Team. Fischer has made a career for himself overseas since graduating from Marquette, most recently playing for Coosur Real Betis in the Spain - Liga Endesa league this past season.

"It’s been a great experience playing with Herd That for TBT this summer. I wasn’t planning on playing anymore but when they reached out to me and told me who else was going to be on the team I couldn’t pass up this chance of possibly winning the tournament again," said Luke Fischer, who played at Germantown High School, Thursday in a phone call.

Fischer played alongside Herd That's Jon Elmore, who is nicknamed "The Wheat Mamba" amongst some TBT fans, last year overseas in Italy.

"Jon is a great point guard that knows the game really well and makes my job really easy with how well he passes. I think we have the talent to make a big run in the next couple of days," Fischer said.

Fischer and Herd That are taking on Best Virginia, the West Virginia alumni team, tonight on ESPN+ in the Round of 32 in the West Virginia Regional.

Like Fischer, former Golden Eagles' Jamil Wilson and Dwight Buycks Jr. are suiting up this season for Boeheim's Army, Syracuse's Alumni team.

"It’s been nothing but fun and good energy with the whole team. I know a few main guys on the team so it’s easy for us to put our thoughts and comments together when tryna lead the team," Buycks said Thursday over the phone. "Jamil we have so much history together so it’s regular to be playing with him on the court. I know where he gone be at all times so it’s easy and the bond off the court always helpful."

Buycks, who spent three seasons in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons, finished as the third leading scorer in Boeheim's Army's first-round win finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Wilson, meanwhile, has been a menace on the boards racking up 16 in the first two games.

UW-Green Bay and Milwaukee native Jarvis Williams is also competing for Boeheim's Army as well this season. Williams was on Marquette's alumni team in 2020.

The trio will compete against fellow Milwaukee native Lamonte Bearden, who is once again playing for Blue Collar U, in tomorrow night's Syracuse Regional championship game at 8 p.m. CST on ESPN+.

The Germantown High School product finished with five points and five assists in Blue Collar U's 107-86 second-round win against Virginia Dream. Former UW-Green Bay men's basketball manager Tom Fox, who now serves as Buffalo's Director of Basketball Operations and Analytics, is one of Blue Collar U's assistant coaches.

Former Marquette guard Darryl Morsell is making his TBT debut this summer, playing for Shell Shock, Maryland's Alumni Team. Morsell played three season at Maryland from 2017-21, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021, before transferring to Marquette for his graduate season.

The Baltimore native helped lift Shell Shock to its first-ever TBT win earlier this week over Gataverse with a team-high 18 points, which included the 'Elam Ending' winning shot.

Morsell played for the Raptors G-League affiliate, Raptors 905, this past season where he averaged 8.2 points and shot nearly 43% from the field in 30 games. Morsell and Shell Shock will take on the Gutter Cats tonight at 5 p.m. CST on ESPN+ in the second round of the Louisville Regional.

Other Wisconsin-tied players in the TBT this season include Trent Lockett (Marquette - Gutter Cats), Sukhjot Bains (UW-Green Bay - India Rising) and Adam Fravert (UW-Oshkosh - We Are D3).

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Luke Fischer, Dwight Buycks and Jamil Wilson with new teams in TBT