College basketball results are trickling in, giving us an early look at how things will unfold heading into March Madness. But for many college basketball fans, the best part of November isn't a relatively mild start to the sport. Instead, it's a basketball smorgasbord later this month during what's affectionately known as “Holiday Week.”
College basketball is scheduled for a long list of multi-team competitions leading up to and after Thanksgiving. Without a doubt, the headliner will be the Players Era Men's Championship. The 18-team tournament in Las Vegas will see players receive more than $20 million in zero payouts. sources told Matt Norlander CBS Sports this summer.
Some of college basketball's top brands have decided to participate in the second year of the event as they look to maximize compensation opportunities for their players. The tournament also has a non-standard structure. After two scheduled matches, each team will play a third opponent, which will be determined based on the results of the first two days. Given that there will likely be several teams with a 2-0 record, the “championship” matchup will be determined by factors such as point differential, total points scored, and points scored.
While the Players Era Men's Championship has established itself as the new king of MTE (multi-team events), there are still some good tournaments to look forward to at the end of November. Here's our look at the best tournaments of the season ahead of November Madness.
1. Players Era Men's Championship
Date: November 24–27
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Matchups: No. 14 St. John's vs. No. 16 Iowa State, No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 19 Gonzaga, No. 7 Michigan vs. San Diego State, No. 2 Houston vs. No. 20 Tennessee (see full list here)
Accident: The Players Era Men's Championship is full of quality teams and mouth-watering matches. Among those in the mix is ​​No. 1 Houston, which will open against a Syracuse team led by freshman phenom Kean Anthony, son of Carmelo Anthony. The Cougars will then play a rematch of last year's Elite Eight game with Tennessee. The Dean of MTE appeared at the event. Among the best games will be Alabama vs. Gonzaga. Both have already established themselves as elite attacking teams, and their meeting could turn into a race to 90 points. It will also be an important week for St. John's as the Red Storm looks to bounce back from Alabama. Coach Rick Pitino's team plays Iowa State and Baylor in its first two games.
2. Baja Mar Championship
Date: November 20–21
Location: Nassau, Bahamas
Matchups: No. 1 Purdue vs. Memphis (6:00 p.m. ET, CBSSN) No. 14 Texas Tech vs. Wake Forest (8:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
Accident: The potential title matchup between Purdue and Texas Tech will be a must-see battle featuring two All-American candidates at the point guard position. Braden Smith of the Boilermakers and Christian Anderson of the Red Raiders are each small players, but they are basketball wizards and great scorers. But don't discount the possibility of a surprise in the first round. Memphis is a powerful team that puts relentless pressure on Purdue. On November 11, Wake Forest took Michigan to overtime and would test Texas Tech. Regardless of how the results fall, this event will provide four interesting matches.
3. Radi's children's invitation
Date: November 27–28
Location: San Diego, California
Matchups: No. 10 Florida vs. TCU, No. 23 Wisconsin vs. Providence
Accident: Florida is off to a bumpy start in its quest to defend its national title. The Gators started with a season-opening loss to Arizona, then struggled at home before posting a 78-76 win over a rebounding Florida State team on Nov. 11. It will be instructive to see how the Gators perform in back-to-back Tests against top-ranked opponents. The potential matchup with Wisconsin could be a great battle of the greats as both teams get huge production from their strong front courts.
4. ESPN Events Invitational (magic bracket)
Date: November 27–28
Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Matchups: No. 9 BYU vs. Miami, Georgetown vs. Dayton
Accident: The purpose of this event is to get a closer look at BYU's heralded freshman AJ Dybanz. The No. 2 prospect in the 2025 class could very well be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. In the meantime, he has the potential to further develop a Cougars program that is thriving under second-year coach Kevin Young. The event is also a great proving ground for Georgetown, which is looking to make its first NCAA Tournament appearance under third-year coach Mack Brown.
5. Invitation to Maui
Date: November 24–26
Location: Lahaina, USA
Matches: Seton Hall vs. No. 25 NC State, USC vs. Boise State, Washington State vs. Chaminade, Arizona State vs. Texas
Accident: The Maui Invitational has certainly been scaled down with the advent of the Players Era event, but it should still be a fun tournament. The best stories involve famous coaches trying to jump-start programs with dormant potential. Winning the Maui Invitational would be a huge boost for first-year coaches like NC State's Will Wade or Texas' Sean Miller. The same can be said for USC under second-year coach Eric Musselman.
6. Battle 4 Atlantis
Date: November 26–28
Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas
Matchups: Vanderbilt vs. Western Kentucky, VCU vs. South Florida, Colorado State vs. Virginia Tech, Wichita State vs. St. Mary's
Accident: The Battle 4 Atlantis field isn't as loaded with high-profile programs as in past seasons, but true college hoops fans will enjoy some of these matchups. Vanderbilt is a team to watch from the top half of the bracket as the Commodores continue their rise under second-year coach Mark Byington. The most interesting player is Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas, a Greek freshman who could help the Hokies get through the bottom half of the bracket.
