LAS VEGAS — Just 24 hours after organizers promised to stick to their current configuration, Players Era Festival executive director Seth Berger told ESPN that organizers will consider a new format when next year's field expands to 32 teams.
Berger said organizers reconsidered their stance following online backlash after Wednesday's matchups were not announced until after midnight ET. Those games were settled using a format based on margin of victory, record, AP ranking, head-to-head record, points allowed and points scored in two games of the event.
“The reality of this is having the humility to listen,” Berger told ESPN on Wednesday. “That's it. We thought we had found the right solution.
“…I don't know if we're going to get to a group, but all ideas are on the table.”
Berger said Tuesday that the event would not make any changes to its format even after admitting that fans in Las Vegas had told him they didn't understand how it works. On Wednesday, he said he realized the format for an 18-team tournament might not work with a 32-team event next year, prompting his change.
Iowa State defeated St. John's, the reigning Big East champion, on Monday and then dominated Creighton by 18 points a day later, despite playing without star Tamin Lipsey. However, the Cyclones faced off Wednesday against Syracuse, which had lost both of its games in Las Vegas, because Iowa State's overall margin of victory (plus-19) was not enough to earn a spot in the championship or third-place games.
Iowa State beat Syracuse, 95-64.
This is significant because the winner of the Players Era title game between Michigan and Gonzaga will earn $1 million in additional NIL compensation, along with a $1 million guarantee for each participant. The runner-up will receive $500,000. The winner of the third-place game between Tennessee and Kansas receives $300,000, while the loser receives an additional $200,000.
Iowa State did not have the opportunity to earn additional NIL compensation despite an undefeated record and the best collection of wins in the field.
In 2026, the event will be very different with four groups of eight teams and a showdown between “the four kings” of those groups.
“Next year we will have four or eight groups of teams,” Berger said. “Beyond that, we haven't finalized the format yet.”
