College basketball's premier early-season event is getting a major upgrade. The Players Era tournament is expanding from 18 to 24 teams and splitting into two separate tournaments, with the two most recent national champions headlining the action.
Michigan, fresh off winning the national title in April, will headline the Players Era Sixteen during Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas. The Wolverines are no strangers to success in this event—they dominated Gonzaga 101-61 to win last year's Players Era title. Despite bringing in nine newcomers, Michigan is expected to be a national championship contender once again next season.
Florida, the national champion from a year ago and a potential preseason No. 1, will lead the field in the Players Era Eight a week earlier. The Gators boast what could be the nation's best frontcourt, with Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon returning, plus Rueben Chinyelu if he bypasses the NBA draft. Florida didn't participate in the Players Era last year but opened their season in Las Vegas with a narrow 93-87 loss to Arizona.
The Players Era and ESPN have also announced a multiyear agreement for the men's tournaments, though specific terms remain undisclosed. While a women's tournament was held last year, no plans for another have been announced yet.
The Players Era Eight field features Florida alongside Auburn, Houston, Kansas, Notre Dame, Rutgers, UNLV, and West Virginia—a collection of powerhouse programs sure to deliver early-season fireworks.
Meanwhile, the Players Era Sixteen boasts an even deeper lineup: Michigan, Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Oregon, St. John's, San Diego State, Tennessee, TCU, and Texas Tech. With this kind of talent, the tournament is shaping up to be a must-watch event for college basketball fans.
Now in its third year, the Players Era has quickly replaced the Maui Invitational and Battle 4 Atlantis as the premier early-season showcase. Tournament co-founder Seth Berger revealed last year that participating teams receive at least $1 million in name, image, and likeness money on average. The Big 12 Conference also holds an equity stake, and the top eight teams in the standings automatically qualify for the following year's event.
Whether you're a fan of Michigan's rising dynasty, Florida's dominant frontcourt, or any of the other elite programs involved, this year's Players Era tournaments promise high-stakes action from the very first tip-off.