To reach the Sweet 16 of the 64-team, $1 million, winner-take all championship of The Basketball Tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks alumni squad will need to defeat an experienced Florida TNT opponent with an all-time record of 10-4.

Florida TNT, which will meet KU’s “Mass Street” at 6 p.m. Monday at Koch Arena in Wichita in the TBT’s Round of 32, pounded the L.A. Cheaters 81-61 in a Round of 64 game on Saturday in Wichita.

KU, meanwhile, upended Ram Up, a squad comprised of former Colorado State players, 81-68 behind the combined 38 points of point guard Frank Mason III (20) and power forward Billy Preston (18).

Florida TNT, the No. 3 seed in the region (KU is No. 2), was sparked in its Saturday rout by three players who logged 35 or more minutes. Christopher Warren, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound, 35-year-old point guard out of Ole Miss, led the way with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting.

Warren — he averaged 13.0 points a game for a professional team in Turkey last season — was 5-of-11 from 3-point range. He also had three assists to one turnover and grabbed three rebounds in 36 minutes.

Jason Burnell, a 6-7, 220-pound, 26-year-old forward out of Jacksonville State, scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting in 38 minutes Saturday. He was 3-of-6 from 3-point range with four rebounds. Burnell, whose last season in college was 2018-19, last season played for pro team Germani Brescia in Italy. He averaged 8.5 points per game.

Keith Clanton, a 6-9, 250-pound forward who played at UCF, scored seven points on 3-of-6 shooting vs. L.A. Cheaters in 35 minutes. He grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots.

Clanton, 33, once scored 36 points in a college game. Clanton played for a team in Romania last season.

Niven Glover, a 6-4 shooting guard, scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting (2-of-2 from 3-point range) in the TBT opener. He also had two rebounds in 17 minutes. Glover, a former Fresno State player, played professionally in China last season.

The team’s fifth starter, Ikeon Smith, a 6-4 guard, had four points on 2-of-6 shooting in the opener. He played 20 minutes. Smith, 27, played at Georgia Southern and competed in Italy last season.

Quincy Ford, a 6-8, 225 forward, came off the bench to score seven points and grab five rebounds in 24 minutes Saturday. Ford, 31, played at Northeastern and, like Smith, competed in Italy last season.

The team’s roster also boasts 6-4 former LSU standout Antonio Blakeney (the official stats had him with no points and one blocked shot in the opener). He’s listed as questionable for Monday’s game for reasons not listed on the TBT’s account on the platform X.

Of Florida TNT’s Clanton, the Website cbbreview.com wrote: “It’s a feat to lead a team in both rebounds and assists, but that’s what Keith Clanton did last year in two games for Florida TNT (the squad went 1-1). The former UCF Knight has played major roles in Florida TNT’s earlier successes in TBT, and figures to be a big part of this year’s squad as well. Clanton plays much bigger than his 6-9 frame, and he’s a solid rim protector and playmaker all packaged in one. If Florida TNT makes another run, it very well may be because of Clanton.”

KU’s Frank Mason III, who played in France last season, hit 9 of 13 shots and scored 20 points for Mass Street in the Kansas alumni team’s opener. Billy Preston had 18 points and Dedric Lawson 14. The Jayhawks improved to 3-1 all-time in the TBT.

Florida TNT hit 11 of 28 3s in its opener; KU’s squad hit 6 of 20. Monday’s game will be streamed at this address: https://tbtlive.thetournament.com/

The team outlook for Florida TNT reads this way at cbbreview.com: “Florida TNT enters with high expectations, having experienced prior success in previous iterations of the tournament. (Look out for Christopher Warren.) As a 3-seed, they’ll be favorites in their first-round matchup against L.A. Cheaters, but they most likely draw Mass Street in the second round, the talented Kansas alumni team. If they can get past Mass Street, there’s a very good chance Florida TNT can make an extended run. It’s all about the “if”, though.”

If Mass Street wins Monday night, the team would advance to the TBT Wichita Regional championship game at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Koch Arena.

The winner of the Wichita Regional will play the winner of the Houston Regional in the quarterfinals on July 29 or 30 (official game date, time and location to be determined). The semifinals and $1 million winner-take-all championship game will be Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.