Barstool King of the Court: 20 enter on After Dark Oct. 27

Tate laid out the whole format the night before tip, and it's a lot more than a pickup run.

Ohio’s Tate

@OhioTate

Tomorrow night on @StoolAfterDark 20 contestants enter We are competing on the court, strategizing off the court, voting, using the chat, etc (and yes, there will be some After Dark Bullshit) as we whittle down the players Last one standing is the Barstool King of the Court 🏀

Here's the setup: 20 people walk in and 1 walks out. They compete on the court, scheme off it, vote each other out and work the chat, and Tate is promising some After Dark bullshit along the way. The last one standing is crowned Barstool King of the Court. Basically it's Survivor with a basketball in it, and that's a great idea for a live stream that runs late into the night.

The voting is what makes it work. A straight shooting contest goes to whoever can actually hoop. Once the contestants and the chat get a say in who goes home, the best player in the building is suddenly the biggest target, and the guy who can't hit a layup might live forever if he plays the politics right. That's the version of this that turns into appointment viewing.

The trash talk started before anybody stepped on the court. Kate went right at 3 names the morning of the show.

Kate

@kate_overthinks

Take THAT, Rico, Mook & Connor Griffin

Ohio’s Tate

@OhioTate

The boys at @StoolBreakdown have released their Top 20 rankings for tomorrow’s King of the Court. Who do you think is going to win? Who is the most overrated? Who was the most disrespected?

Whatever she's firing back at is in the picture, but look who she picked: Rico, Mook and Connor Griffin, all called out by name hours before tip. Whether they're all part of the 20 hasn't been spelled out. Either way, beef that starts before the show is exactly what a format built on votes and alliances runs on.

Things to watch Tuesday night: who forms the first alliance, who the chat turns on early, and whether the best hooper survives the first vote or gets taken out the second people realize they can't beat him. Tate built a show where getting good at basketball isn't enough, and that's why it's worth staying up for.