Expansion Continues in College Basketball as the 2026 Players Era Tournament Grows to 24 Teams
If the NCAA has shown anything in the past two months, it is that they believe bigger is better. This was seen when the NCAA recently expanded the March Madness tournament from 68 to 76 teams this upcoming season. As no surprise, many fans and coaches vocalized their backlash about the expansion. These complaints clearly fell on deaf ears, as the Players' Era Tournament announced this week that it plans to expand from 18 to 24 teams. This is another sign to college hoops fans that expansion is inevitable; either get with the times or get left behind.
The Players Era Tournament is a new NIL-motivated early-season college basketball tournament. It is hands down the biggest regular-season event and has been a huge success in its two years of existence. In 2024, the inaugural year of the tournament, participating teams were promised a million dollars for being in the field and another million if they won the entire tournament. As you can imagine, because of the payout, the teams enlisted in this tournament are stacked. Of the 24 teams in the tournament, 13 of them made the big dance last year, and 10 are ranked in ESPN's Way Too Early Top 25.
So why the expansion when they have already been receiving so much backlash? Well, a major influence is the TV rights deal. For the first two years of the Players Era, TNT held the rights to the event. As of Wednesday, this changed. ESPN and Players Era announced a multi-year media rights agreement. This is another move that seems to be for the corporation rather than the fans. ESPN senior director of college basketball programming and acquisitions, Dan Margulis, stated: "These tournaments immediately strengthen ESPN's industry-leading college basketball portfolio and underscore our commitment to showcasing the best teams and storylines across the sport." While showcasing the best teams in the nation feels truthful, he still does not hide the fact that this helps boost ESPN above all else.
It is easy to nag and complain about the current climate of college hoops, but this tournament expansion may actually be positive. With growing concern that the NCAA has devalued its regular season through tournament expansion, the Players Era will bring high-caliber and quality matches earlier in the season. There is a possibility of Final Four or National Championship previews with teams like reigning champs Michigan, Florida, Kansas, Houston, Gonzaga, and many other true contenders. Last year, the Wolverines jumped into the national conversation in this very tournament, running through the competition and with three wins by a combined 110 points. Could we see the same this season?
