WVU Men’s Basketball has learned its opponents for the 2026 Players Era Championship tournament. Read more: WVU MBB learns bracket for newly expanded Players Era Championship.
Ross Hodge and his squad received their place in the newly expanded 24-team tournament on January 22, and the Mountaineers now know the other teams in their bracket. That group includes two Big 12 foes: the Kansas Jayhawks and Houston Cougars.
Bracket update
The Players Era Championship is an NIL incentive early-season tournament that encourages top Power 4 programs to face off against other premier competition early in the season. Last year’s national champion, the Michigan Wolverines, started its championship season with a three-game sweep in the Players Era tournament.
The NIL reward has reached upwards of 1 million dollars for every team that has participated in the tournament.
After its inaugural season in 2024, the bracket expanded from eight teams to 18 in 2025. In 2026, the event will feature 24 teams in Las Vegas, split evenly between two separate bracket-play tournaments over a two-week span.
Related: Series of the season incoming: No. 15 WVU lays it on the line at No. 7 Kansas
The Mountaineers will participate in the “Players Era 8” tournament beginning November 16. Along with the Big 12 participants, Auburn and Florida will represent the SEC.
Notre Dame will represent the ACC, and Rutgers will represent the Big Ten. UNLV rounds out the tournament as the lone representative from the Mountain West Conference.
For West Virginia and the other seven Big 12 participants, they are a part of a partnership between the Big 12 Conference and Players Era, an EverWonder Studio company. It grants the Big 12 an equity stake in the Players Era Men’s Championship tournament.
This first-of-its-kind partnership allows the top eight teams in the league from the previous year to compete in the following year. The deal starts in 2026 and runs through 2030.
Hodge’s statement
Hodge expressed his team’s excitement to be a part of this illustrious early-season tournament.
“We are excited to be invited with seven of our Big 12 Conference members to participate in the 2026 Players Era Men’s Championship,” said WVU head coach Ross Hodge in a press release. “The exposure this tournament presents will be beneficial to our program, our University, and the state of West Virginia. This has become the biggest in-season tournament in college basketball, and we are thrilled to be a part of this prestigious event.”
Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, and Texas Tech round out the rest of the Big 12 teams participating in the tournament.
Players Era 16 tournament
The rest of the field will begin play during Thanksgiving week in the “Players Era 16” tournament.
Including the five other Big 12 teams, the field includes Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, Maryland, Miami, Louisville, Creighton, St. John’s, Gonzaga, and San Diego State.
Related: JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison battle for WNBA roster spots
This bracket boasts five other teams that reached at least the Sweet 16 in the 2025-2026 NCAA Tournament.
More to be announced
The tournament has not announced first-round matchups as of publication. ESPN will televise all 37 games exclusively, but officials have not yet released start times.
Officials have not set a timetable for those releases.
WV Sports Nation will keep you updated once organizers announce West Virginia’s first-round matchup and explain what that means for the Mountaineers.
As always, stay up to date with WVU athletics right here on wvsportsnation.com.
