The defending national champion Gators are joining one of the newest and fastest growing men’s basketball tournaments.
Florida men’s basketball signed a multi-year agreement with Player’s Era to join its Men’s Championships field in Las Vegas in November 2026. The tournament will be aired on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
The Las Vegas tournament began in 2024 with eight men’s teams and is expanding to 18 men’s and four women’s teams during the upcoming season. All of the teams will play on the first two days to determine the championship matchups.
Each program that wins its opening two games will be first to qualify for the championship and third place games. Then, the teams that split their two games will be next to qualify. Tiebreakers are determined by point differential, points scored and points allowed.
Several of the programs participating this season are expected to participate in the 2026 tournament. In 2026, Florida will be accompanied by Auburn, St. John's and Gonzaga.
"The University of Florida is the current standard bearer of excellence in NCAA men's basketball and there is no higher peak than being able to add the defending national champions to the Players Era Men's Championship field," Players ERA CEO Seth Berger said.
Golden added that involvement in this tournament will play an instrumental role in the team’s nonconference schedule for years to come.
"The Players Era Men's Championship has already become one of the elite multi-team events in a short time, and we're excited to be part of that growth and innovation," Golden said. "With the field assembled, Players Era will be a central piece of our nonconference schedule for the next several years.
As Florida continues to receive national recognition following their championship run, Golden and his staff look ahead to Florida’s season opener against Arizona on Nov. 3. The game will take place in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Summer 2025 women's tennis beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
