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Recent Champs Michigan and Florida Headline Fields in Players Era as Its Splits Into 2 Tournaments

ESPN will carry all 37 games as the event grows to 24 teams and shifts to two bracket tournaments.

  • ESPN secured exclusive rights to the Players Era Men's Championships, a 24-team tournament held annually in Las Vegas starting next season.
  • The tournament is expanding from 18 to 24 teams split into two brackets, replacing the Maui Invitational and Battle 4 Atlantis as college basketball's premier early-season showcase.
  • Thirteen of the 24 participating teams reached the 2026 NCAA tournament, with reigning champion Michigan and Florida headlining the fields; teams receive at least $1 million in NIL opportunities.
  • EverWonder Studio and ESPN finalized a multiyear agreement to "bring March to November," with the network broadcasting all 37 games next season exclusively.
  • Players Era CEO Seth Berger said "College basketball is the hottest and one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the country," positioning the bracket-play format to cement the event's elite status.
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Recent champs Michigan and Florida headline fields in Players Era as its splits into 2 tournaments

The Players Era will expand from 18 to 24 teams this year and split into two tournaments. The two most recent national champions headline a pair of loaded fields.

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On3 broke the news on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
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