The field for the first-ever Players Era Festival, a new seasonal men's college basketball tournament that promises to provide each team with at least $1 million in name, image and likeness opportunities outside of competition, is expected to be announced this week. Six schools participated in the NCAA tournament last season, sources said.
Sources said the first-round matchups will be Houston vs. Alabama, Rutgers vs. Notre Dame, San Diego State vs. Texas A&M and Oregon vs. Creighton.
The event will be played in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week.
EverWonder Studio, the content studio and production company behind the event, will soon announce the launch of “Players Era,” an initiative aimed at engaging fans and providing college athletes the opportunity to participate in unique NIL activities. Each team participating in the tournament will participate in more than $1 million in NIL opportunities with Players Era sponsors outside of the event.
EverWonder is also expected to announce that the Players Era Festival will expand to at least 18 teams in 2025, adding Gonzaga, Michigan, Syracuse, Saint Joseph's and St. John's to the field, sources said.
Future events and tournaments are expected to be added under the Players Era umbrella, which could include preseason college women's and men's basketball events, sources said.
