It's a new day in college basketball.
NIL Opened the Door for a Different Kind of Tournament
When the NCAA passed the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) Policy in June 2021, everybody thought that players would benefit from the profits that their respective universities made from ticket and merchandise sales. It also allowed athletes to sell their own name, image and likeness to private companies in various advertising campaigns.
A Format Built for Marquee Matchups
2024 was the first year that the Players Era Festival was held. It quickly separated from the other events, like the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Maui Invitational, because of the format. The Players Era Festival uses a World Cup-style format with scheduled games and then the best teams by record and point differential earn a spot in the bracket play portion.
With scheduled games before a bracket, this allows for tournament administration to schedule top-ranked matchups without busting the bracket. This year featured No. 15 Iowa State taking down No. 14 St John's.
Las Vegas Creates New Opportunities for Growth
Another way that the Players Era Festival differentiates from traditional early-season tournaments is location.
Being hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada, does a few things. Las Vegas has an ample number of sporting event venues. The event is being split between the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Las Vegas has more options to expand to as the event expands as well.
Las Vegas is also a better location than some other events. Sin City is fairly easy to travel to. Harry Reid International Airport connects to over 150 airports in the United States, making it easier and more affordable than Hawaii or the Bahamas.
Better Venues and National Broadcast Coverage
Games are now being played in college basketball-worthy buildings, with fans is a great way to prepare teams before conference play begins.
Games are also being broadcast on TruTV. Tru is part of TnT, which recently lost its NBA rights to ESPN, so the event is getting national coverage with some of the best announcing crews.
A Prize Pool That Changes How Programs Operate
Perhaps the biggest appeal to programs, however, is the financial incentive. Every team that enters the Players Era Festival receives a one-million-dollar guarantee just for showing up.
From there, the stakes only climb. The winner leaves with five million dollars, while the runner-up earns two million. Even a semifinal appearance comes with a seven hundred fifty thousand dollar payout.
In an era where NIL funding and program resources shape recruiting and roster retention, that type of prize pool gives schools something far greater than an early-season resume builder. It offers real investment potential.
College Basketball Is Moving Toward an NBA Model
College basketball is slowly taking on features from the NBA. A few years after Adam Silver launched the league’s in-season tournament, college hoops has developed its own version with real stakes and real rewards.
Tradition Is Fading, and a New Era Is Rising
Whether traditionalists like it or not, the sport is changing. Money, exposure and player empowerment now drive early-season action, and the Players Era Festival stands at the front of that shift. If the momentum continues, this could be the new standard for college basketball’s future.