Auburn set for Players Era event as ESPN deal expands field to 24 teams

Players Era and ESPN have reached a multi-year agreement to broadcast the Players Era Men’s College Basketball Championships, the two sides announced on Thursday.

Starting in 2026, the event will expand to 24 teams split across two tournaments, featuring recent national champions like Michigan and Florida. ESPN will exclusively air all 37 games, while also partnering with Players Era to handle event production and operations.

There will be two separate brackets in 2026 — an eight-team event the week before Thanksgiving and a 16-team event during Thanksgiving week. Due to MTE (multi-team event) restrictions, a 24-team bracket wasn’t feasible without creating uneven game totals and relying on tiebreakers.

The Players Era 8 field includes Auburn, Florida, Houston, Kansas, Notre Dame, Rutgers, UNLV and West Virginia.

Auburn defeated Oregon and St. John’s in last season’s Players Era event, while falling to eventual national champion Michigan.

It’s a mix of power conference programs and national brands, highlighted by teams like Kansas, Houston and Florida, along with Auburn and others rounding out the eight-team group.

The Players Era 16 field features a loaded group of programs, including Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, San Diego State, St. John’s, Tennessee, TCU and Texas Tech.

It’s a deep, nationally competitive lineup with a mix of blue bloods, recent contenders and high-level programs from across the country.