FanDuel Becomes Official Gaming Partner of TBT
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This week, FanDuel announced a partnership with The Basketball Tournament, making them the official daily fantasy partner. FanDuel will offer betting odds for the TBT, which runs from July 4-14. TBT 2020 will have 24 teams playing in a winner take all tournament, which will take place at Nationwide Arena.
The partnership for FanDuel is strategic as they are the exclusive daily fantasy sports partner, along with giving out daily fantasy odds. The games will be streaming across all ESPN platforms during the 10 days.
“The Basketball Tournament has grown in stature over the years, making this the right time to offer a fantasy basketball contest for the fans who will be watching the games on ESPN,” said Mike Raffensperger, CMO of FanDuel Group. “Adding a sporting event, the caliber of TBT is another way for FanDuel to provide innovative and engaging fantasy contests for real money during a time when everyone is looking for More Ways to Win.”
The Basketball Tournament
The Basketball Tournament is a five-on-five winner take all tournament where the winner will receive $1 million. The 24-team competition will take place at Nationwide Arean in Columbus, Ohio, from July 4-24. Also, all games will be streaming on all ESPN platforms. TBT 2020 will be the seventh tournament in its history.
Some names in the tournament include Joe Johnson, Hasheem Thabeet, Aaron Craft, Travis Diener, Malachi Richardson, and Isaiah Austin. Overall, more than 40 players have NBA experience that will be playing in this tournament.
The TBT has a different style of play compared to the NBA and college basketball. The tournament is known for innovation with the utilization of the Elam Ending, devised by Ball State University professor Nick Elam. With four minutes remaining in each game, the game clock turns off, and the teams play to a target score to crown the winner. The clock stoppage allows any sort of comeback to happen regardless of a team’s lead.
Odds for the TBT
FanDuel has released early odds for the TBT and can are on the FanDuel sportsbook. The sportsbook is posting odds and spreads for the July 4 matchups. Every game has a spread total and moneyline so that bettors can find as much value as possible.
The largest spread on the board is between two games. Big X is a 5.5-point favorite over D2. Also, Brotherly Love is -5.5 against Stillwater Stars. House of ‘Paign is a two-point favorite over War Tampa, and Team CP3 is -3.5 against PrimeTime Players. All four games posted will be played on July 4. July 5 games will be posted later on as they get closer to the date.
The highest total on the board is between Brotherly Love and Stillwater Stars, which sits at 160.5 points. The lowest is between Team CP3 and PrimeTime Players, and that is at 154.5 points. D2 and Big X have a total set at 158.5, and House of ‘Paign and War Tampa is 157.5 points.
FanDuel does not have TBT futures for the tournament, unfortunately. Trying to build out futures odds for a tournament like the TBT is difficult and could be a big liability is a long shot was to make a run in it.
FanDuel will continue to post daily odds on their site for the TBT. As the NBA, NHL, and MLB are not resuming just yet, this tournament will help bridge the gap in the restart of U.S. sports.
