University of Tennessee Athletics
Tournament Bracket, Schedule Set for 2026 Players Era Men’s Championship
May 21, 2026 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Players Era, an EverWonder Studio company, MGM Resorts International and ESPN today announced the brackets for the 2026 Players Era Men's Championships.
The 24-team event, held in Las Vegas, will consist of two tournament-style brackets—one with eight teams and one with 16 teams—held over two weekends. Tennessee will play in the 16-team bracket, which will be contested from Nov. 24-28 at both T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The "Players Eras 16" will be divided into two eight-team brackets with the teams emerging from each side meeting for the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 28. The championship game will be played at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
All 37 games across the two tournaments will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks as part of a new multi-year broadcast agreement between Players Era and ESPN.
Tennessee will first face the Maryland Terrapins on Nov. 24. The victor will face the winner of the game between San Diego State and Iowa State in the Bracket No. 1 semifinal on Nov. 26.
The Volunteers hold a 3-2 record all-time against Maryland, with the upcoming sixth contest to take place at a sixth different venue. Each of the last four contests have also been played at neutral sites, with Tennessee's 56-53 victory on Dec. 11, 2022, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the lone matchup between the two programs since the 1984-85 season and the first Tennessee victory since December 1963.
The Volunteers have played seven prior games in the state of Nevada, all in Las Vegas. They went 0-2 at the 1977 Rebel Roundup, dropping a 92-86 decision on Dec. 20 to Iowa and then a 93-86 result versus Northwestern the next day. The program also played in the 1982 Las Vegas Classic, notching a 50-42 win over San Jose State on Dec. 28 before coming up short, 70-54, in a top-15 road matchup versus UNLV the next day.
In last season's Players Era Men's Championship, the Volunteers defeated Rutgers, 85-60, in the tournament's opening contest on Nov. 24 and followed up the performance by defeating then-No. 3/2 Houston, 76-73, on Nov. 25. The Volunteers earned a spot in the third-place game and fell to Kansas, 81-76, on Nov. 26.
Specific game locations and television network designations for the Players Era Men's Championship will be announced later.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Complete Players Era Men's Championships Tournament Bracket
Players Era 8 | Tuesday-Thursday, November 17-19 at Michelob ULTRA Arena
Tuesday, Nov. 17 – Opening Round Games (All times TBD)
Houston vs. Rutgers
Florida vs. Notre Dame
West Virginia vs. Auburn
Kansas vs. UNLV
Wednesday, Nov. 18 (All times TBD)
Semifinal #1 - WINNER (Houston/Rutgers) vs. WINNER (Florida/Notre Dame)
Semifinal #2 - WINNER (West Virginia/Auburn) vs. WINNER (Kansas/UNLV)
Consolation #1
Consolation #2
Thursday, Nov. 19 (All times TBD)
Championship Game
Third-Place Game
Consolation #3
Consolation #4
Players Era 16 | Tuesday-Saturday, November 24-28 at T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena
Tuesday, Nov. 24 – Opening Round Games (All times TBD)
Tennessee vs. Maryland
San Diego State vs. Iowa State
St. John's vs. Oregon
Louisville vs. Texas Tech
Gonzaga vs. Kansas State
Baylor vs. Alabama
Michigan vs. Creighton
TCU vs. Miami (FL)
Wednesday, Nov. 25
No games scheduled
Thursday, Nov. 26 (All times TBD)
Semifinal #1 - WINNER (Tennessee/Maryland) vs. WINNER (San Diego State/Iowa State)
Semifinal #2 - WINNER (St. John's/Oregon) vs. WINNER (Louisville/Texas Tech)
Consolation #1
Consolation #2
Semifinal #3- WINNER (Gonzaga/Kansas State) vs. WINNER (Baylor/Alabama)
Semifinal #4 - WINNER (Michigan/Creighton) vs. WINNER (TCU/Miami)
Consolation #3
Consolation #4
Friday, Nov. 27 (All times TBD)
Bracket #1 Champ – WINNER Semifinal #1 vs. WINNER Semifinal #2
Bracket #2 Champ – WINNER Semifinal #3 vs. WINNER Semifinal #4
Bracket #1 Third Place
Bracket #1 Fifth Place
Bracket #1 Seventh Place
Bracket #2 Third Place
Bracket #2 Fifth Place
Bracket #2 Seventh Place
Saturday, Nov. 28 (Time TBD)
Players Era 16 Championship Game (Michelob ULTRA Arena)
The 24-team event, held in Las Vegas, will consist of two tournament-style brackets—one with eight teams and one with 16 teams—held over two weekends. Tennessee will play in the 16-team bracket, which will be contested from Nov. 24-28 at both T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The "Players Eras 16" will be divided into two eight-team brackets with the teams emerging from each side meeting for the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 28. The championship game will be played at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
All 37 games across the two tournaments will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks as part of a new multi-year broadcast agreement between Players Era and ESPN.
Tennessee will first face the Maryland Terrapins on Nov. 24. The victor will face the winner of the game between San Diego State and Iowa State in the Bracket No. 1 semifinal on Nov. 26.
The Volunteers hold a 3-2 record all-time against Maryland, with the upcoming sixth contest to take place at a sixth different venue. Each of the last four contests have also been played at neutral sites, with Tennessee's 56-53 victory on Dec. 11, 2022, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the lone matchup between the two programs since the 1984-85 season and the first Tennessee victory since December 1963.
The Volunteers have played seven prior games in the state of Nevada, all in Las Vegas. They went 0-2 at the 1977 Rebel Roundup, dropping a 92-86 decision on Dec. 20 to Iowa and then a 93-86 result versus Northwestern the next day. The program also played in the 1982 Las Vegas Classic, notching a 50-42 win over San Jose State on Dec. 28 before coming up short, 70-54, in a top-15 road matchup versus UNLV the next day.
In last season's Players Era Men's Championship, the Volunteers defeated Rutgers, 85-60, in the tournament's opening contest on Nov. 24 and followed up the performance by defeating then-No. 3/2 Houston, 76-73, on Nov. 25. The Volunteers earned a spot in the third-place game and fell to Kansas, 81-76, on Nov. 26.
Specific game locations and television network designations for the Players Era Men's Championship will be announced later.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Complete Players Era Men's Championships Tournament Bracket
Players Era 8 | Tuesday-Thursday, November 17-19 at Michelob ULTRA Arena
Tuesday, Nov. 17 – Opening Round Games (All times TBD)
Houston vs. Rutgers
Florida vs. Notre Dame
West Virginia vs. Auburn
Kansas vs. UNLV
Wednesday, Nov. 18 (All times TBD)
Semifinal #1 - WINNER (Houston/Rutgers) vs. WINNER (Florida/Notre Dame)
Semifinal #2 - WINNER (West Virginia/Auburn) vs. WINNER (Kansas/UNLV)
Consolation #1
Consolation #2
Thursday, Nov. 19 (All times TBD)
Championship Game
Third-Place Game
Consolation #3
Consolation #4
Players Era 16 | Tuesday-Saturday, November 24-28 at T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena
Tuesday, Nov. 24 – Opening Round Games (All times TBD)
Tennessee vs. Maryland
San Diego State vs. Iowa State
St. John's vs. Oregon
Louisville vs. Texas Tech
Gonzaga vs. Kansas State
Baylor vs. Alabama
Michigan vs. Creighton
TCU vs. Miami (FL)
Wednesday, Nov. 25
No games scheduled
Thursday, Nov. 26 (All times TBD)
Semifinal #1 - WINNER (Tennessee/Maryland) vs. WINNER (San Diego State/Iowa State)
Semifinal #2 - WINNER (St. John's/Oregon) vs. WINNER (Louisville/Texas Tech)
Consolation #1
Consolation #2
Semifinal #3- WINNER (Gonzaga/Kansas State) vs. WINNER (Baylor/Alabama)
Semifinal #4 - WINNER (Michigan/Creighton) vs. WINNER (TCU/Miami)
Consolation #3
Consolation #4
Friday, Nov. 27 (All times TBD)
Bracket #1 Champ – WINNER Semifinal #1 vs. WINNER Semifinal #2
Bracket #2 Champ – WINNER Semifinal #3 vs. WINNER Semifinal #4
Bracket #1 Third Place
Bracket #1 Fifth Place
Bracket #1 Seventh Place
Bracket #2 Third Place
Bracket #2 Fifth Place
Bracket #2 Seventh Place
Saturday, Nov. 28 (Time TBD)
Players Era 16 Championship Game (Michelob ULTRA Arena)
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