College basketball rankings: Michigan, Gonzaga meet for Players Era title, but are they two best teams
The Players Era decides a champion on Wednesday, but will it be the best team in the field?
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Either Tennessee or Kansas will go 3-0 in the Players Era Festival this week and finish no better than third place. If you want to know how goofy the format for this 18-team event is, that's a good place to start.
It's a "tournament" where a perfect record might get you no better than third place -- or, in Iowa State's case, fifth place. Because, yes, the Cyclones, just like Tennessee and Kansas, are also undefeated in the Players Era Festival but are reduced to what amounts to a fifth-place game against Syracuse because of point differential.
It's all so silly.
We really destroyed the Maui Invitational for this?
As I posted on X Tuesday night, I don't blame any of the 18 programs involved in this event for being involved in this event. Everybody is chasing money these days, and the Players Era Festival is paying real money to schools, reportedly around $1 million. Put simply, when the options are to either pay a lot of money to play three games away from home (which is what Maui requires) or get paid a lot of money to play three games away from home (which is what the Players Era does), it's understandable to go with the latter. But the format is too ridiculous for any basketball fan to take seriously.
Players Era format needs to be tweaked in order for event to reach its full potential in 2026 and beyond
Matt Norlander
So, sure, I'm looking forward to the title game between Michigan and Gonzaga, in part because it's a matchup between the teams ranked third (Michigan) and 10th (Gonzaga) in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. But the way we got here was poorly thought out, and that's why it's crucial that the event's organizers listen to their customers and adjust.
Bottom line, no sport in the United States is more closely associated with a bracket than college basketball. Next November, the Players Era Festival would be wise to give us some.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
7
Tennessee
12
Houston
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 103-73 win over Denver. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Norfolk State. | -- | 7-0 |
| 2 |  | Oscar Cluff finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds in Friday's 86-56 win over Texas Tech. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Eastern Illinois. | -- | 8-0 |
| 3 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 17 points and four assists in Tuesday's 102-72 win over Auburn. The Wolverines' next game is Wednesday against Gonzaga. | 4 | 7-0 |
| 4 |  | Eric Reibe finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 72-49 win over Bryant. The Huskies' next game is Friday against Illinois. | -- | 7-1 |
| 5 |  | Richie Saunders finished with 26 points and three rebounds in Friday's 98-70 win over Wisconsin. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against Miami. | -- | 7-1 |
| 6 |  | Alex Condon finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 80-45 win over Merrimack. The Gators' next game is Thursday against TCU. | -- | 5-3 |
| 7 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in Sunday's 93-56 win over Howard. The Blue Devils' next game is Thursday against Arkansas. | 1 | 9-0 |
| 8 |  | Isaac McKneely finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Monday's 87-46 win over Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals' next game is Wednesday against NJIT. | 1 | 7-1 |
| 9 |  | Killyan Toure finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 78-60 win over Creighton. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Syracuse. | 1 | 8-0 |
| 10 |  | Braden Huff finished with 20 points and three assists in Tuesday's 100-61 win over Maryland. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Michigan. | 1 | 7-1 |
| 11 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 26 points and four assists in Tuesday's 115-76 win over UNLV. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Maryland. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 12 |  | Bryce Hopkins finished with 26 points and five assists in Tuesday's 96-81 win over Baylor. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Auburn. | 1 | 4-3 |
| 13 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Monday's 87-73 win over UT Rio Grande Valley. The Illini's next game is Friday against UConn. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 14 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 22 points and four assists in Tuesday's 76-73 win over Houston. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Kansas. | 7 | 7-2 |
| 15 |  | Chris Cenac Jr. missed six of the eight shots he attempted in Tuesday's 76-73 loss to Tennessee. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Notre Dame. | 12 | 7-1 |
| 16 |  | Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 89-56 win over East Carolina. The Spartans' next game is Thursday against North Carolina. | -- | 8-0 |
| 17 |  | Jaylen Petty missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Friday's 86-56 loss to Purdue. The Red Raiders' next game is Wednesday against New Orleans. | -- | 6-2 |
| 18 |  | DJ Wagner finished with 17 points and seven assists in Friday's 115-61 win over Jackson State. The Razorbacks' next game is Thursday against Duke. | -- | 6-2 |
| 19 |  | Henri Veesaar finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 85-70 win over St. Bonaventure. The Tar Heels' next game is Thursday against Michigan State. | -- | 7-1 |
| 20 |  | Kam Williams finished with 13 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 88-46 win over Loyola Maryland. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Tennessee Tech. | -- | 5-3 |
| 21 |  | Tre White finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 71-60 win over Syracuse. The Jayhawks' next game is Wednesday against Tennessee.. | 3 | 6-3 |
| 22 |  | Rienk Mast finished with 31 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 80-73 win over Winthrop. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday against USC Upstate. | 3 | 8-0 |
| 23 |  | Reed Bailey finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 86-69 win over Kansas State. The Hoosiers' next game is Saturday against Bethune Cookman. | 3 | 7-1 |
| 24 |  | Bennett Stirtz finished with 29 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 74-69 win over Ole Miss. The Hawkeyes' next game is Wednesday against Grand Canyon. | NR | 7-1 |
| 25 |  | Malik Dia missed five of the six shots he attempted in Tuesday's 74-69 loss to Iowa. The Rebels' next game is Wednesday against Utah. | 2 | 5-3 |
| 26 |  | Esra Ausar finished with 25 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 83-81 win over Seton Hall. The Trojans' next game is Wednesday against Arizona State. Skyy Clark was 3 of 11 from the field on Friday's 69-65 loss to Arizona. The Bruins' next game is Tuesday against Sacramento State. | NR | 8-0 |
