How the $100K 3-on-3 tourney for college seniors held at the Final Four will work

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- This March, for the first time ever, college players will publicly and officially be paid to play basketball.

Back in August, news came down about an enterprising, long-overdue idea that would bring more attention and fanfare to the Final Four: a 3-on-3 tournament featuring college basketball seniors who would be playing for a sizable money prize. Now, less than two months from Final Four weekend, we have the details. Intersport, the marketing company behind the event, released the particulars Monday morning.

It's going to be called the 3X3U National Championship, it's sponsored by Dos Equis, and most importantly every college senior in the country -- who won't be playing in the Final Four -- is up for selection.

Yep, all 32 Division I conferences will be represented, meaning there will be a big bracket, a tournament truly representing every corner of Division I college basketball. Players from the SWAC could bang bodies with the Big Ten, Big East or SEC's best. There will be four players per team (128 total players will be selected/invited for the event) and the tournament will run over three days from Friday, March 30 through Sunday, April 1. Location: St. Mary's University's Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio. If you're planning on attending the Final Four and want to know the distance between that venue and the Alamodome, it's 7.8 miles away.

Aside from actually playing in the Final Four, this is the coolest sendoff imaginable for college basketball seniors. Only players who have exhausted their eligibility are permitted to hoop. Their amateur playing careers will be over the second their seasons end -- which means they can make money and not put themselves or their schools at risk.

To be clear, the 3X3U National Championship is not affiliated with the NCAA.

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