K-State basketball will join KU at Players Era tournament next season in Vegas
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State will be one of eight Big 12 teams at the 2026 Players Era in Vegas.
- Players Era guarantees at least $1M in NIL per team, with additional performance bonuses.
- Tournament field expands to 32 teams as the Big 12 commits to 8 slots under partnership.
Next season, the Kansas State men’s basketball tournament will head to Las Vegas for a November basketball tournament.
The field will include many familiar opponents.
K-State will join Kansas and six other teams from the Big 12 (Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech and West Virginia) in the 2026 Players Era Tournament, which will take place during Thanksgiving Week at various arenas in Las Vegas.
The Players Era Tournament is quickly replacing the Maui Invitational and the Battle 4 Atlantis as the premier early season tournament in college hoops. Why? Because it gives at least $1 million in NIL money to every participating team, including bonuses for squads that perform well during the event.
This season, Michigan reportedly took home an extra $1 million for winning the Players Era Tournament. KU earned an extra $300,000 for finishing third. “We are excited about the opportunity to play in the Players Era next season,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said in a statement. “It has become the preeminent in-season tournament for college basketball, and we can’t wait for our players to enjoy a top-notch experience in the Entertainment Capital of the World – Las Vegas.”
Tang has previously taken his teams to The Bahamas and Kansas City for November tournaments. But he has said that boosting NIL money for his roster will be a priority moving forward.
The Players Era tourney featured 18 teams this season. The plan is for the field to expand to 32 teams for the 2026 edition.
The Big 12 has a partnership with the event, with commissioner Brett Yormark promising to send eight teams to the tournament in future years. Baylor, Houston, Kansas and Iowa State were already on board. K-State, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia are poised to join them. Players Era will announce additional information about the 2026 tournament field and format in the coming weeks.