The player era format that determines which teams play for prize money needs to be fixed

LAS VEGAS — When the format of a sporting event becomes a bigger story than the actual games, you have a problem.

And right now, the Players Era has a problem. An image problem to say the least. An understanding problem.

After two days of really good basketball, this is what awaits you on Wednesday:

• No. 7 Michigan vs. No. 12 Gonzaga (Championship Game)
• No. 17 Tennessee vs. Kansas (third place game)

That’s obviously a great doubleheader. The championship match will require $1 million in additional NIL money, with $500,000 going to the loser. The winner of Tennessee-Kansas will get another $300,000, while the loser will get $200,000.

Those four teams won 2-0 over the past two days.

But so did No. 15 Iowa State. But because of two plays and four points in two games 24 hours apart, Kansas will be playing for more money, while Iowa State will be eliminated. What is the Cyclones’ reward? A game against 4-2 Syracuse on Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time.

This is why that happens.

Late buckets mattered

On Monday, St. John’s Dillon Mitchell had a setback as time expired to earn Iowa State’s 83-82 win over the Red Storm instead of 83-80. Then, on Tuesday, Kansas’ victory against Syracuse was within reach and certainly decided. With less than 30 seconds left, KU’s Kohl Risario hit a slam to increase the lead from 69-60 to 71-60.

Kansas’ point differential after two games was 21. Iowa State was 19.

That’s why Kansas has a shot in a money game, while ISU might get a Quad 2 result against a Syracuse team that has played well here but still hasn’t managed to win a game.

There are more reasons why teams have complaints. Consider how Tennessee had to battle its way past No. 3 Houston in what was almost certainly the most physically demanding game of the first two days. But the Vols don’t get to play in the championship game for the most money because they were paired with the highest-ranked opponent in the 18-team Players Era field.

It all happens because of a statistical tiebreaker that is traditionally limited to high-profile football tournaments, where scoring is of the utmost importance in that sport and pool play typically involves round-robin competition.

However, player era does not apply to any of these scenarios.

“We’re doing something different, so basically you’re not just looking at the same thing you look at every November, but with more teams,” said co-founder Seth Berger. “We’re trying to bring November basketball to more casual fans, so one of the things we need to do is continue to clearly explain why our format is unique and exciting. In this format, every shot matters, every basket counts, every minute counts.”

I admit: every game and every basket is a concept that has some positive aspects. It differs from the traditional ‘bracket’ game and provides on-field relevance for more games. But casual fans associate college basketball tournaments with brackets. It’s the essence of November basketball, let alone what March Madness is literally built on.

Brackets work.

And even though this is year 2 for Players Era, it’s actually year 1, as last season’s eight-team event didn’t really penetrate the public consciousness.

So the PR rollout was mixed. Most fans can’t easily follow what’s happening, even if the games have been good. (And many of them have.)

Nothing will be done about it this year. The matchups were set at 12:30 PM ET on Wednesday morning/9:30 PM PT, and if you’ve made it this far into my column and are wondering who the heck is playing each other, here’s Wednesday’s schedule:

On Wednesday we write, talk and respond to all Wednesday’s matches.

Format in motion

I want to stay on the bigger issue, which is what to do with the format in the coming years. Next year the event will go to 32 teams. It will be the biggest regular season event in college basketball history. Those 32 teams are split into four groups of eight teams. From there, the four teams that win their pool (against three other teams in predetermined matchups that will take place the following offseason) will do so based on best record… and then points difference/margin of victory as the decider.

“Those four teams each play one more game, a game for first place and a game for third place,” Berger said at a press conference here on Tuesday. “I think over time the system will be pretty simple and understandable for fans. What we’re trying to do here, and I think it’s an interesting question, because for basketball fans or parents or coaches who have played in AAU events, this is relatively standard, this happened every weekend when you went to an event.”

Berger and co-founder Ian Orefice have faced a lot of skepticism and backlash over their event due to its expensive and unprecedented nature. But they do good things for the players. More than 200 Division I athletes involved in this event will receive a significant amount in NIL opportunities. It is positive for the sport.

The next step is to ensure that the event can attract fans and has a format that is not difficult to follow.

Keep options open

A ray of hope for anyone hoping the current format can switch to something more traditional: Orefice told me Tuesday night that it’s not a certainty that the future of the event will be a pool game that will involve point differential tiebreakers.

“We are open to all feedback,” Orefice said. “Nothing is 100% certain for the future. We almost certainly want to play four groups of eight teams next year, but we’ll see.”

Orefice said they will factor the opinions of each team into the event as they look at planning for 2026 and beyond. Orefice added that the primary goal – what they call a “North Star” – is to make the Players Era the best it can be. Orefice made a point by saying that Berger will not pretend that they have all the answers and will resist any form of change. They’ve created something that has turned the sport’s November calendar on its head – and it will be a behemoth for years to come, provided it puts on an event that’s TV-friendly, fan-friendly and easy to follow.

Asking fans to stay up late to discover matchups for each team less than 16 hours before the games are played isn’t great for fans – or coaches. I had a staff on the field this year who texted me locally after 8pm on a Tuesday asking if I knew who they were playing.

You never want that.

It’s only year 2 and the event will continue to evolve, but if it wants to reach its maximum potential as a sports entity, it’s probably best to find a way for Bracket Play to become the skeleton of Players Era. Make the wins and losses matter most – and don’t leave the style points as tiebreakers. If the event can get to this point in the next year or two, it will truly be what its founders envisioned: a tournament that embodies the spirit of March Madness and all the good that comes with it.