2025 Players Era Festival Set to Showcase Expanded College Basketball Lineup
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Las Vegas will host an expanded 2025 Players Era Festival,featuring 18 men’s teams and four women’s teams,beginning November 24th. The event, designed to provide a unique early-season college basketball showcase, builds on the success of the 2024 festival where Oregon defeated Alabama 83-81 to claim the championship. All games will be played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Michelob ULTRA arena.
The Players Era Festival offers a compelling early look at potential NCAA Tournament contenders and provides a platform for high-level competition before conference play intensifies. The tournament format for both men’s and women’s brackets will determine championship and third-place matchups, with implications for seeding and momentum heading into the remainder of the season. All games will be streamed on HBO Max.
Men’s Players Era Schedule (All times ET)
Monday, Nov. 24 & Tuesday,Nov. 25: Round-robin play for all 18 teams. Matchups are pre-set and will determine qualification for Wednesday’s championship and third-place games. Qualification is based on record (2-0 teams qualify first, followed by 1-1 teams). Tiebreakers will be determined by point differential, points scored, and points allowed. Additional matchups will air Nov. 26 and nov. 27 based on the first two days of competition.
Wednesday, Nov.26:
* Game 1 Consolation, 1 p.m.
* Game 2 Consolation, 3:30 p.m.
* Third-Place Game, 7 p.m.| TNT
* Game 3 Consolation, 8 p.m.
* Championship Game,9:30 p.m. | TNT
* Game 4 Consolation, 10:30 p.m.
* game 5 Consolation, 12 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 27:
* Game 6 Consolation, 2 p.m.
* Game 7 Consolation, 4:30 p.m.
women’s Players Era Schedule (All times ET)
Wednesday, Nov. 26: Semifinal matchups will be played. The field includes three of the four teams that competed in the 2024 Women’s Final Four.
Thursday, Nov. 27:
* Championship Game, 8 p.m. | truTV
* Third-Place Game, 10:30 p.m. | truTV
