LAS VEGAS — In its second iteration, the Players Era Championship is catching some heat, some of it deserved, some of it simply petty.
But one criticism that is valid is Wednesday’s schedule.
The 18 teams participating at the two venues here did not know who they were playing or when until late Tuesday night. That meant zero time to prepare a scouting report, go through the opponent’s tendencies in a walk-through or let those fans who traveled to watch their team play know when to show up.
With so much uncertainty, it makes you want to do the Limbo Rock (cue Chubby Checker). Suffice to say, there were going to be a lot of assistant coaches burning the midnight oil watching tape, cultivating scouting reports and trying to make things as simple as possible for their players when they meet for breakfast Wednesday morning.
Seth Berger, who founded Players Era, said Tuesday that the plan to go to 32 teams in 2026 should alleviate some of the uncertainty. He said point differential, which determined this year’s finalists, will remain part of the formula going forward.
“The system, over time, I think will be pretty simple and understandable to fans,” Berger said. “What we’re trying to do is bring November basketball to more casual fans. So clearly, one of the things we have to do is continue educating about why our format is unique and exciting.
“In this format, every minute matters. Every basket matters.”
Michigan will play Gonzaga for the Players Era title at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Grand Garden after both scored wipeout victories Tuesday. The Wolverines pounded Auburn 102-72 while the Bulldogs routed Maryland 100-61.
Tennessee, which defeated Houston 76-73 in the best game of the day Tuesday, will face Iowa State in the third place game at 4 p.m. Wednesday. The title game winner will receive an additional $1 million with the loser getting $500,000. The third-place game winner gets $300,000 and the loser receives an additional $200,000.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few said he had no problem with the Players Era format.
“It’s a good thing,” Few said of the use of point differential to determine standings and placement. “It’s FIBA. It’s what they use in the Olympics. So I’m fine with it.”
For UNLV, which faced Alabama at the MGM Grand Garden in the 9 p.m. finale Tuesday, it didn’t know who it was playing or which day or at what time until well into its contest with the Crimson Tide.
But after the Rebels fell 115-76 to drop to 3-4, they learned that they’ll play Rutgers at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Josh Pastner continues to play with a shorthanded roster. Tuesday, he was without Naas Cunningham, Emmanuel Stephen and Jacob Bannarbie. Ladji Dembele was limited to just 10 minutes because of a balky ankle. And while the Rebels were competing hard, they simply couldn’t match up with the Crimson Tide, who were quicker, more athletic and just as competitive.
Alabama took control midway through the first half, led 51-36 at intermission and never looked back, leading by as many as 41 late in the second half.
“Alabama is really good,” Pastner said. “With how small we were without our big guys, it was an uphill battle from the start.”
The Rebels finished the game with six healthy bodies. Pastner said his hope is he can get the majority of his injured guys back by the time Mountain West Conference play begins Dec. 20 against Fresno State.
“I’ve never experienced anything like this, so many injuries in such a short span,” Pastner said. “We just have to get healthy. That’s the bottom line.”
With the Players Era expanding to 32 teams for 2026, perhaps such a calamitous scenario will be avoided as the format will change to accommodate 14 more teams. But for the present, the onus is on the coaches to figure things out. And quickly.
Perhaps Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsbury put it best when asked about the uncertainty his team faced in the wake of its beating Rutgers 68-63 Tuesday at the Grand Garden.
“Yeah, number one is rest,” he said. “Luckily, we played the early game. We don’t know what tomorrow is going to hold or the time, but at least we get a significant amount of rest time.
“I think day three for everybody becomes more about them and their team and system. You’ve got to trust your system because you just don’t have the preparation time to be like a normal game. So tomorrow is going to be about system for really every team that plays.”
PLAYERS ERA CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday’s Games
At MGM Grand Garden and Michelob Ultra Arena
All times Pacific
Third-place game — Tennessee vs. Kansas (MGM), 4 p.m.
Championship — Michigan vs. Gonzaga (MGM), 6:30 p.m.
Consolation
Syracuse vs. Iowa State (MGM), 10 a.m.
Notre Dame vs. Houston (MGM), 12:30 p.m.
St. John’s vs. Auburn (MUA), 5 p.m.
Baylor vs. San Diego State (MUA), 7:30 p.m.
Maryland vs. Alabama (MGM), 9 p.m.
Thursday’s Games
At Michelob Ultra Arena
Consolation
Creighton vs. Oregon, 11 a.m.
UNLV vs. Rutgers, 1:30 p.m.
