Marquette will host all-Big East pod of The Basketball Tournament. Here's what you need to know.

Marquette basketball fans won't have to wait until next season to get their Golden Eagles fix.

The Basketball Tournament, a summer event that culminates in a $2 million championship game, will hold a "pod" at the Al McGuire Center on June 30 and July 1 that will feature alumni teams from four Big East schools, including MU.

Georgetown, Seton Hall and St. John's also will have alumni teams at the Al McGuire Center. The winner of the pod will advance to the "Super 16" of the 72-team TBT. The Big East pod is within the TBT's Northeast Regional.

"The Big East Conference approached us in our off-season," TBT founder Jon Mugar said Thursday. "Just sort of kicking the tires. They've noticed how well the Marquette alumni team has done over the past couple of years in TBT and they've seen some other Big East teams participate.

"They viewed TBT as a property that's still young but definitely growing at a rapid pace in the summer basketball landscape. We started talking about different ways in which we could potentially partner on a more formal Big East alumni arrangement."

Mugar noticed the fan interest that the Golden Eagles alumni team had generated over the last few tournaments.

"The option to put this in their backyard and make them the de facto host for this first-year Big East TBT pod really made all the sense in the world," he said.

WHAT IS TBT?

The tournament is entering its fifth year. It is a single-elimination bracket with 5-on-5 action. Teams usually are made up of current and former professional players.

"2014 was our first year —  a winner-take-all event in one city for a half-million dollars," Mugar said. "Fast forward five years later and it's a $2 million prize and it's across six different cities in the early rounds. It really touches the whole country. So we've turned into a national event."

Last year's tournament featured 68 players with NBA experience.

ESPN will broadcast all the games on its networks and streaming services.

The MU team — fittingly called "Golden Eagles Alumni" - has made it to the final eight in each of the past two years. Dwight Buycks and Jamil Wilson went on to make NBA rosters last season.

WHO WILL BE ON MU'S TEAM?

Former MU player Dan Fitzgerald is the team's general manager and the Golden Eagles Alumni will be coached by Joe Chapman.

Chapman, who played at MU from 2002-'06, is a basketball skills trainer and AAU coach in the Milwaukee area.

Fitzgerald said he has secured commitments from the following players:

Jerel McNeal: Scored a school-record 1,985 points from 2005-'09.

Travis Diener: Scored 1,691 points at MU from 2001-'05.

Wilson: Played at MU from 2011-'14, averaging 9.4 points per game.

Matt Carlino: Made 83 three-pointers in his lone season with Golden Eagles (2014-'15).

Lawrence Blackledge: Appeared in 46 games for MU from 2006-'08.

Dwight Burke: Started 52 games with Golden Eagles from 2005-'09.

Maurice Acker: Averaged 2.5 assists at MU from 2007-'10.

The other Big East alumni teams are still piecing together their rosters. All the teams in the pod are automatic TBT qualifiers.

HOW CAN FANS BUY TICKETS?

The games will be at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. June 30 and 1 p.m. July 1.

Tickets will go on sale to MU  season-ticket holders at 10 a.m. Friday. The general public can buy tickets starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The school is offering single-day ($15 for adults, $5 for children and college students) or session tickets ($25 adults, $7 for children and college students).

Some of the proceeds will benefit the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund. 

Seating at the Al McGuire Center is general admission.

Fans can call the Marquette ticket office at (414) 288-4668 or email athletics@marquette.edu.