LAS VEGAS – When the format of a sporting event becomes more important than the games themselves, you have a problem.
And at the moment, the Player Era has a problem. At the very least, it is a problem of image, and for many sports fans it is a problem of understanding.
After two days of really good basketball on the Strip, here's what's in store for Wednesday:
- No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 12 Gonzaga (championship match)
- No. 17 Tennessee vs. Kansas (third place game)
This is, of course, an amazing doubleheader. The championship game will cost $1 million in additional zero money, with $500,000 going to the loser. The winner of Tennessee-Kansas will receive another $300,000, and the loser will receive $200,000.
These four teams went 2-0 over the last two days.
But so did No. 15 Iowa State. Unfortunately for the Cyclones, due to the Players Era tiebreaker format, two games and four points in the two games were decided within 24 hours of each other, meaning Kansas will play for more money while Iowa State is eliminated. What is the Cyclones' reward? Game against Syracuse (4-2) on Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time.
That's why this happens.
Late buckets made the difference.
On Monday, St. John's Dillon Mitchell fumbled as time expired, giving Iowa State an 83-82 win over the Red Storm instead of 83-80. Then on Tuesday, with Kansas' win over Syracuse in hand and firmly decided, Col Risario struck to extend the lead from 69-60 to 71-60 with less than 30 seconds left.
Kansas' point differential after two games was 21. Iowa State's was 19.
That's why Kansas has an opportunity in the money game while ISU gets what could very well be a Quad 2 result against a Syracuse team that played well here but couldn't win a game.
READ: Norlander's Day 2 Notebook from Vegas
Teams have more reasons to be unhappy. Consider how Tennessee had to fight its way past No. 3 Houston in what was almost certainly the toughest physical game of the first two days. But the Vols didn't get to play in the championship for the most money because they were up against the highest ranked opponent in the 18-team Players Era field.
Essentially, Tennessee was punished because it was facing a better team. No one beats Houston by double digits.
This is all due to the statistical tie-breaker that is traditionally played in high-level soccer tournaments, where performance in the sport is paramount and pool play usually involves round-robin competition.
However, the Player Era does not apply to any of these scenarios.
“We're doing something different, so you're not really just watching the same thing you watched every November, just with more teams,” co-founder Seth Berger said at his press conference Tuesday after the Tennessee-Houston game. “We're trying to bring November basketball to more casual fans, so obviously one of the things we need to do is continue to talk about why our format is unique and fun. In this format, every shot, every basket, every minute matters.”
I'll admit, every play and every basket matters – that's a concept that has some positive aspects. This is different from traditional net play and allows for more play on the court. There are reasons to try something different. I just don't think this is the best option for this event, especially considering the number of teams not only this year, but in 2026 and beyond.
Casual fans associate college basketball tournaments with brackets, plain and simple. This is the essence of November MTE basketball, not to mention what March Madness is literally built on.
Playing with braces is reliable.
And while this is the second year of the Players Era, it's essentially the first because last season's eight-team tournament didn't really capture the public consciousness.
Thus, the PR rollout was mixed. Most fans have a hard time following the aftermath of the first two days' games, even if many of the matches were good.
Nothing will be done this year. The matches were set at 12:30 ET on Wednesday morning/9:30 pm PT, and if you've gotten this far into my column wondering who the hell is playing each other, this is the schedule for Wednesday, all times ET:
| Syracuse vs. No. 15 Iowa State | 13:00 (TNT) at the Grand Garden Arena. |
| Notre Dame vs. No. 3 Houston | 15:30 (TNT) at the Grand Garden Arena. |
| Third place: Kansas vs. No. 17 Tennessee | 19:00 (TNT) at the Grand Garden Arena. |
| No. 14 St. John's vs. No. 21 Auburn | 20:00 (truTV) at the Grand Garden Arena. |
| Championship: No. 13 Gonzaga vs. No. 7 Michigan | 21:30 (TNT) at the Grand Garden Arena. |
| Baylor vs. San Diego State | 22:30 (truTV) at Michelob Ultra Arena |
| Maryland vs. No. 8 Alabama | 12:00 (TNT) at the Grand Garden Arena. |
Make the switch in '26
The Players Era will expand to 32 teams next year. It will be the largest regular season event in college basketball history. These 32 teams will be divided into four groups of eight teams. So the four teams that win their pool game (against three other teams in predetermined matches to be played next offseason) will do so based on the best record… and then the deciding factor will be point differential/win margin.
“Each of these four teams will play one more game: for first place and for third place,” Berger said. “I think that over time the system will become quite simple and understandable for fans. What we're trying to do here, and I think it's an interesting question, because for basketball fans or parents or coaches who have played at AAU events, it's relatively standard, it happens every weekend when you go to an event.”
There could be two 3-0 teams or two 2-1 teams whose fate is determined by point differential, but based on an unbalanced three-game rotation.
Berger and co-founder Ian Orefice faced a lot of skepticism and backlash about their event. due to its high cost and unprecedented. But they do good things for the players. The more than 200 Division I athletes competing here will receive significant money under zero opportunity. This is positive for the sport.
The next step is to make sure the event can attract fans and have a format that isn't subject to the whims of which teams get easier opponents.
On a positive note for anyone hoping the current format might shift to something more traditional: Orefice told me Tuesday night that it's not certain that the future of the tournament will be pool play, which should involve point-difference tiebreakers.
“We are open to any feedback,” Orefice said. “Nothing can be implemented 100%. Next year we're almost certainly going to have four eight-team pools, but we'll see.”
Orefice said he will take the views of each team participating in the event into account when planning for 2026 and beyond. Orefice added that the main goal – what they call the “North Star” – is to make the Players Era as good as it can be, with the intention of improving it every year. Orefice emphasized that Berger is not going to act like they have all the answers and resist any changes. They created something that shook up the sport's November calendar – and it will become a giant in the years to come, provided it is produced for television, fans and is easy to follow.
By creating four eight-team brackets and getting three results in each, the winning team will advance to the championship round. This is easy to fix.
Asking people to stay up late to find out each team's matchups less than 16 hours before games is not good for fans or coaches. One of this year's staff messaged me after 8pm local time on Tuesday to ask if I had any information on who they were playing.
Not ideal.
It's only in its second year and the event will continue to evolve, but if it wants to reach its maximum potential as a sporting entity, it would probably be best to figure out a way to make bracket play the skeleton of the player era moving forward. Make wins and losses matter the most, rather than leaving style points as a tiebreaker. If the event can reach this point in the next year or two, then it will truly be what the founders intended: a tournament that embodies the spirit of March Madness and everything good that comes with it.
