2025 Players Era Men’s Championship Preview
- Peyton Plant
- Nov 20, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 28, 2025
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 24–27, 2025
MGM Grand Garden Arena & Michelob ULTRA Arena
Broadcast: TNT, truTV, and Max (HBO Max)
The Players Era Men’s Championship comes to Las Vegas with one of the strongest fields in college basketball, an 18-team tournament featuring elite programs, competitive matchups, and several top prospects from the Babcock Hoops 2026 NBA Draft Big Board. NBA front offices are expected to attend in large numbers, and the field offers a wide range of evaluable talent from freshmen to upperclassmen.
Below is the initial schedule, the key NBA prospects to watch throughout the event, and their current Big Board rankings and scouting report links.
Schedule
Monday, Nov. 24
20 Tennessee vs. Rutgers — 1:00 PM ET (TNT)
Creighton vs. Baylor — 2:00 PM ET (truTV)
Notre Dame vs. 24 Kansas — 3:30 PM ET (TNT)
14 St. John’s vs. 16 Iowa State — 4:30 PM ET (truTV)
Syracuse vs. 2 Houston — 6:00 PM ET (TNT)
Oregon vs. 22 Auburn — 8:00 PM ET (truTV)
13 Gonzaga vs. 11 Alabama — 9:30 PM ET (TNT)
San Diego State vs. 7 Michigan — 10:30 PM ET (truTV)
UNLV vs. Maryland — 11:59 PM ET (TNT)
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Rutgers vs. Notre Dame — 1:00 PM ET (TNT)
16 Iowa State vs. Creighton — 2:30 PM ET (truTV)
Syracuse vs. 24 Kansas — 3:30 PM ET (TNT)
14 St. John’s vs. Baylor — 5:00 PM ET (truTV)
20 Tennessee vs. 2 Houston — 6:00 PM ET (TNT)
7 Michigan vs. 22 Auburn — 8:30 PM ET (TNT)
Maryland vs. 13 Gonzaga — 9:30 PM ET (truTV)
San Diego State vs. Oregon — 11:00 PM ET (TNT)
UNLV vs. 11 Alabama — 11:59 PM ET (truTV)
Wednesday, Nov. 26
Third-Place Game — 7:00 PM ET (TNT)
Championship Game — 9:30 PM ET (TNT)
Additional games on Nov. 26–27 will be scheduled based on earlier results.
Prospects to Watch
Darryn Peterson | Kansas
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height / Weight: 6'6", 205 lbs
Ranking: No. 1
Nate Ament | Tennessee
Class: Freshman
Position: Forward
Height / Weight: 6'10", 207 lbs
Ranking: No. 4
Tounde Yessoufou | Baylor
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard/Forward
Height / Weight: 6'5", 215 lbs
Ranking: No. 8
Chris Cenac Jr. | Houston
Class: Freshman
Position: Forward/Center
Height / Weight: 6'11", 240 lbs
Ranking: No. 10
Tahaad Pettiford | Auburn
Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Height / Weight: 6'1", 170 lbs
Ranking: No. 14
Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
Height / Weight: 6'9", 240 lbs
Ranking: No. 16
Labaron Philon | Alabama
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height / Weight: 6'4", 185 lbs
Ranking: No. 18
Magoon Gwath | San Diego State
Class: Freshman
Position: Forward/Center
Height / Weight: 7'0", 212 lbs
Ranking: No. 25
Joseph Tugler | Houston
Class: Junior
Position: Forward/Center
Height / Weight: 6'8", 230 lbs
Ranking: No. 28
Miles Byrd | San Diego State
Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard/Forward
Height / Weight: 6'6", 190 lbs
Ranking: No. 29
Flory Bidunga | Kansas
Class: Sophomore
Position: Forward/Center
Height / Weight: 6'10", 235 lbs
Ranking: No. 35
Kingston Flemings | Houston
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height / Weight: 6'4", 190 lbs
Ranking: N/A
Scouting Report →
Aday Mara | Michigan
Class: Junior
Position: Center
Height / Weight: 7'3", 255 lbs
Ranking: N/A
