The Players Era Championships brackets, matchups have been revealed -- and it looks awesome

The Players Era Championships setup for the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season is going to make some members of the Big Blue Nation jealous.

In what will be the third year of this new annual event, ESPN announced the brackets and matchups on Thursday. There are two different tournaments: one bracket with eight teams and another bracket with 16 teams. Both events will take place in Las Vegas around Thanksgiving and will feature a total of 37 games. Some of the biggest brands in the sport are set to participate, too.

The Players Era 8 will include Florida, Notre Dame, Houston, Rutgers, Kansas, UNLV, West Virginia, and Auburn. It will run from Nov. 17-19 and includes a consolation bracket. The Players Era 16, which runs from Nov. 24-28 and also has a consolation bracket, is comprised of Tennessee, Maryland, San Diego State, Iowa State, St. John’s, Oregon, Louisville, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Baylor, Alabama, Michigan, Creighton, TCU, and Miami (FL).

Check out the graphics below to see the complete brackets and every first-round matchup. ESPN networks will be the exclusive provider for all 37 games across the two tournaments. This will be the first time the event is entirely bracket play-based.

It sure does look like fun!

Kentucky is notably absent from this season’s event, but KSR’s Jack Pilgrim broke news earlier this week that the Wildcats are expected to be one of eight teams participating in a different event called the Diamond Cup, which would begin in the 2027-28 season with a two-game agreement.

This is a potentially lucrative opportunity for UK with long-term media, sponsorship, and NIL upside, one that would take place across multiple days, also around Thanksgiving. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reports that schools could earn $2.25 million apiece in 2027 from the Diamond Cup, which could bump to $3.75 million in years two and three.

But for the upcoming season, Kentucky and the BBN will have to sit back and watch these multi-team tournaments from afar.