NEW YORK – Players Era, an EverWonder Studio company, today announced that current unanimous AP No. 1 team in the nation Auburn University is joining the field for the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas. The Tigers become the 17th team to join the field for next year’s championship, which will feature the most competitive field ever assembled for a men’s in-season tournament, and an entirely new format that will combine international style-group play with championship matchups sure to deliver a must-see slate of games across the board.
“Having Auburn in the field for the next three years further cements the Players Era Men’s Championship as the preeminent men’s college basketball tournament outside of the NCAA tournament. With Coach Pearl’s team, three of the current top-4 ranked teams in the country are competing in the 2025 Players Era – this event is shaping up to be like a Final 4 with all #1 seeds,” said Players ERA CEO Seth Berger. “Thank you to Coach Pearl for his support of this event and belief in the platform we are building. He has built an incredible program at Auburn and we can’t wait to see them compete for an NCAA title this year, and for a Players Era banner next November.”
“Auburn Basketball is really excited about being a part of the field at the Players Era Festival the next three years,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “It is an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete at a very high level and be included in this revolutionary concept of scheduling. It also ensures that we will be playing against the best teams in the non-conference in college basketball. Our fans will no doubt enjoy the opportunity to travel and be a part of this experience.”
Auburn joins all eight programs who participated in last month’s inaugural tournament – Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M – along with new participants Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, St. Joseph’s, St. John’s and Syracuse.
The loaded field features 12 teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest AP Top-25 rankings, including seven teams in the top-15 in No. 1 Auburn, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Houston, No. 12 Kansas, No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 15 Oregon.
The groundbreaking Players Era Festival launched this past fall, with games played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and distributed on TNT Sports. Next year’s men’s championship will again coincide with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition. Publicis Sports, the dedicated U.S. sports practice within Publicis Media, will continue to partner with EverWonder and the Players Era Men’s Championship to help secure new advertising and sponsorship partners for the tournament.
“Having Auburn in the field for the next three years further cements the Players Era Men’s Championship as the preeminent men’s college basketball tournament outside of the NCAA tournament. With Coach Pearl’s team, three of the current top-4 ranked teams in the country are competing in the 2025 Players Era – this event is shaping up to be like a Final 4 with all #1 seeds,” said Players ERA CEO Seth Berger. “Thank you to Coach Pearl for his support of this event and belief in the platform we are building. He has built an incredible program at Auburn and we can’t wait to see them compete for an NCAA title this year, and for a Players Era banner next November.”
“Auburn Basketball is really excited about being a part of the field at the Players Era Festival the next three years,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “It is an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete at a very high level and be included in this revolutionary concept of scheduling. It also ensures that we will be playing against the best teams in the non-conference in college basketball. Our fans will no doubt enjoy the opportunity to travel and be a part of this experience.”
Auburn joins all eight programs who participated in last month’s inaugural tournament – Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M – along with new participants Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, St. Joseph’s, St. John’s and Syracuse.
The loaded field features 12 teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the latest AP Top-25 rankings, including seven teams in the top-15 in No. 1 Auburn, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Houston, No. 12 Kansas, No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 15 Oregon.
The groundbreaking Players Era Festival launched this past fall, with games played at MGM Grand Garden Arena and distributed on TNT Sports. Next year’s men’s championship will again coincide with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition. Publicis Sports, the dedicated U.S. sports practice within Publicis Media, will continue to partner with EverWonder and the Players Era Men’s Championship to help secure new advertising and sponsorship partners for the tournament.
