WVU Basketball to Open Players Era Championship Against Expected Opponent

Two weeks after the brackets were revealed, the Players Era Tournament has set the opening matchups, pairing WVU basketball with an expected opponent.

West Virginia will start out facing Auburn in a matchup between the reigning College Basketball Crown champions and last season’s NIT winners, reports Jon Rothstein.

In a conversation with WV Sports Now at the Pittsburgh stop of the Coaches Caravan, WVU head coach Ross Hodge hinted at assuming the Mountaineers will meet Auburn and he also assumes the Players Era will try to pit the Crown champion and NIT champion against each other every year.

West Virginia will compete as one of eight teams getting started on Nov. 16. The Mountaineers are part of the first bracket of teams that also includes Auburn, Florida, Houston, Notre Dame, Kansas, Rutgers and UNLV.

A separate field with 16 additional teams will get underway during the week after Thanksgiving.

The 2026 Men’s Players Era Championship will be televised nationally by ESPN.

“We are excited to be invited with seven of our Big 12 Conference members to participate in the 2026 Players Era Men’s Championship,” said West Virginia head men’s basketball coach Ross Hodge. “The exposure this tournament presents will be beneficial to our program, our University and the state of West Virginia. This has become the biggest in-season tournament in college basketball, and we are thrilled to be a part of this prestigious event.”

After debuting with eight teams for its inaugural tournament in 2024, the Players Era Men’s Championship expanded to 18 teams for the 2025 edition and is expanding the field once again for year three, as the tournament further establishes itself as the preeminent early season men’s college tournament.

“We’re thrilled that four additional Big 12 programs have been added to the elite Players Era field in 2026,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said. “Our partnership creates greater access to one of the premier non-conference events in college basketball, elevating our programs, coaches and student-athletes on a national stage.”

Find more coverage of WVU basketball at WV Sports Now.

For a related story, Andy Katz included West Virginia inside his recent NCAA Tournament projection.