The Kansas basketball program consistently puts together one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the country. Bill Self is known to give his team difficult early season challenges to ramp up their competition and prepare them for Big 12 games.
In addition to a Champions Classic matchup with Duke, a road game in Chapel Hill vs. North Carolina, and a neutral-site contest against Missouri, the Jayhawks will compete in a prominent in-season tournament in the 2025-26 campaign. They will be one of the 16 schools participating in the Players Era Festival, a tourney that has international-style group play with championship matchups.
Kansas basketball added to next year's Players Era tournament field
Last month's inaugural tournament featured eight schools — San Diego State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Creighton, Rutgers, Alabama, Houston, and Notre Dame. All will return to the event next season, but the field will double. New additions besides Kansas include Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Michigan, St. Joseph’s, St. John’s and Syracuse.
One of its defining features is the emphasis on providing NIL opportunities for student-athletes. This year, the event distributed over $8 million in NIL compensation, ensuring each team received at least $1 million. These payments all adhered to NCAA regulations.
Teams were divided into two divisions — Power and Impact — with a round-robin format leading to a championship day where division leaders competed for the tournament title. Oregon defeated Alabama in a thriller to crown the tournament's first-ever champion. Kansas hopes to be the next school that wins the event.
Here's what Bill Self said in a press release from the university:
“We’re fired up to be a participant in next year’s Players Era Men’s Championship. This season’s Players Era was a big success. This will be a great opportunity for our team and I’m sure our fan base will enjoy spending a few more days in Las Vegas.”