TBT offers the opportunity for some of college basketball’s biggest stars of the past to showcase that they still have what it takes to compete. It also gives recently graduated players who are still trying to plot out a future nationally televised reps while representing their alma mater.Â
It also helps that the winning team of TBT receives a whopping $2 million in prize money.Â
But for former KU star Zeke Mayo, that's not what it is all about.Â
“I love to wear this uniform. Frank is the same; I know these two feel the same,” quoted Mayo following JHX Hoops’ decisive 62-55 win against Purple Reign (Kansas State alumni).
If you haven’t been tuned into the 2026 TBT, Mayo is referring to KU hero and current teammate Frank Mason III, the team’s coach Sherron Collins and team GM and owner Tyshawn Taylor.Â
“It's never been about the money. It is a lot of money. Don't get me wrong for sure. There's a lot of money, but I just love the game of basketball…I am gonna go out there and put everything on the line for this team.”Â
Mayo is currently tied in 10th place in scoring at TBT with a stellar 17.3 points per game. Mayo broke out with a clutch 25 points in game three earlier last Friday.Â
Mayo’s career at KU made fans wish they saw more of him
Mayo spent the first three years of his collegiate career inside the Summit League with South Dakota State. For the Jackrabbits, Mayo averaged 15.5 points, 3 assists and 4.9 rebounds on a solid 45% field goal rate.Â
Mayo then made the move to the Jayhawks before the 2024-25 season, where he immediately became a stalwart for the Jayhawks, averaging 14.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per outing.Â
Mayo finished his sole season with a 2025 All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team selection. Mayo’s KU career high sits at 27 points in a 62-61 loss suffered at the hands of the West Virginia Mountaineers.Â
Despite the Jayhawks overall underwhelming, finishing with just a 21-14 record that included a first-round 79-72 crashout at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Mayo finished the season with 495 points, ranking 2nd overall on the team behind just Hunter Dickinson, who finished with 592.Â
Mayo spent last season playing for the Cleveland Charge, the G-League affiliate of the Cavaliers. In his 36 games (2 starts) in the G-League 2025-26 regular season, Mayo averaged 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists on a 40.4% field goal rate.Â
He was recently signed to the Atlanta Hawks’ Summer League roster, where across five games, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 7.3 points and 2 assists.
Mayo and JHX hoops are set to take part in TBT quarterfinals against the defending champions the Aftershocks (Wichita State alumni) in a single-game elimination series. The Aftershocks are returning seven players from their championship-winning side. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT at the Charles Koch Arena.
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