Purdue Alumni Team Men of Mackey Accepted into The Basketball Tournament's 2022 Field
The Basketball Tournament announced Wednesday that the Purdue alumni basketball team, Men of Mackey, were accepted to the 2022 field as part of the "Run it Back" initiative. The 64-team summer basketball event is a winner-take-all, $1 million tournament broadcast live on ESPN.
As part of this initiative, any team that won a game during the 2021 iteration of The Basketball Tournament was awarded the opportunity to accept automatic entry into the 2022 field.
Last season, Men of Mackey won one game before being defeated by the Ohio State alumni team, Carmen's Crew, in the second round of the Columbus Regional. At the end of the tournament, the Syracuse alumni team, Boeheim's Army, earned its first victory in seven seasons of the event.
Former Purdue guard Jon Octeus accepted the offer on behalf of Purdue's alumni team in a video that was posted to the Men of Mackey Twitter page.
Below is the full release:
BOSTON, January 26, 2021 – The Basketball Tournament (TBT) – the $1 million, winner-take-all summer basketball event broadcast live on ESPN networks – today revealed that Men of Mackey, the Purdue alumni team, received early entry into TBT 2022’s 64-team field.
The early acceptance is part of TBT’s “Run It Back” Initiative, which gives any team that won at least one game in TBT 2021 the ability to receive automatic entry into this summer’s field. Former Purdue guard Jon Octeus accepted the bid on behalf of his alma mater’s alumni team in a video that was posted to the Men of Mackey Twitter page Wednesday morning.
Featuring former Purdue stars Robbie Hummel, Isaac Haas, and Lewis Jackson, Men of Mackey defeated Ballinteers (Tennessee alumni) in the first round of the 2021 Columbus Regional before falling to Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State alumni)
Men of Mackey will continue to be organized by general manager Ryan Kay.
The team’s roster, as well as the regional they plan to compete in, will be unveiled in the coming months.
For more information on Men of Mackey and TBT, visit TheTournament.com.
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