{"id":497,"date":"2026-05-07T15:34:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/players-era-hoops-tournament-expanding-to-24-teams\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T15:34:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:34:55","slug":"players-era-hoops-tournament-expanding-to-24-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/players-era-hoops-tournament-expanding-to-24-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Players Era hoops tournament expanding to 24 teams"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Players Era men\u2019s college basketball tournament is expanding to 24 teams this November in Las Vegas.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/report-aaron-rodgers-likely-to-play-for-steelers-in-26\/\">Report: Aaron Rodgers \u2018likely\u2019 to play for Steelers in \u201926<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>An extended version of the event calls for splitting two separate bracket-play tournaments over the course of two weeks.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>ESPN reached a multiyear deal to serve as the exclusive broadcast partner, the network announced Thursday. ESPN networks will carry all 37 games of the 2026 event.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCollege basketball is the hottest and one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the country,\u201d Players Era CEO Seth Berger said. \u201cThe players have never been better, and record ratings for early season college basketball reflect that. Led by top programs from multiple conferences across the sport, the teams in our field are stronger than ever. We can\u2019t wait to bring March to November with the number one college basketball network in the world, ESPN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Players Era Eight will be held the week of Nov. 16 featuring Florida, Houston, Kansas, Auburn, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers and UNLV.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/kansas-lands-high-scoring-radford-transfer-dennis-parker-jr\/\">Kansas lands high-scoring Radford transfer Dennis Parker Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Players Era Sixteen will take place during the week of Thanksgiving. Defending Players Era and NCAA Tournament champion Michigan headlines this bracket, joined by Alabama, Gonzaga, St. John\u2019s, Louisville, Tennessee, Iowa State, Miami, Texas Tech, Baylor, Maryland, TCU, Oregon, Creighton, San Diego State and Kansas State.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlayers Era features elite programs, meaningful competition and high-stakes matchups to start each season,\u201d said Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director of college basketball programming and acquisitions. \u201cThese tournaments immediately strengthen ESPN\u2019s industry-leading college basketball portfolio and underscores our commitment to showcasing the best teams and storylines across the sport. We\u2019re excited to partner with the Players Era team to continue to elevate the Players Era Men\u2019s Championships and showcase them to fans across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A full release of schedules and venues is expected later in the offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Wolverines won last November\u2019s 18-team Players Era Festival, crushing Gonzaga 101-61 in the championship at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Oregon won the inaugural eight-team tournament in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/sandiegorelocationnews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/fix-50-road-work-continues-as-busy-sacramento-freeway-on-ramp-closing-for-11-days-5\/\">Fix 50 road work continues as busy Sacramento freeway on-ramp closing for 11 days<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Players Era men\u2019s college basketball tournament is expanding to 24 teams this November in Las Vegas.An extended version of the event calls for splitting two separate bracket-play tournaments over the course of two weeks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":496,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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