Auburn basketball locked into early season tournament for next three seasons

Auburn men’s basketball will join the field for the in-season Player’s Era Tournament for the next three seasons, the school announced Friday.

The 2025 edition is the tournament’s second ever iteration, making its debut in 2024. Auburn is the 17th team to join the field, which features 12 teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the current AP top 25.

What makes the Player’s Era tournament unique is that the championship will “coincide with the opportunity for athletes on each team to engage in at least $1 million of NIL activities for Players Era and its sponsors outside of competition,” according to a press release.

Oregon won the inaugural tournament in 2024, beating Texas A&M, San Diego State and Alabama. All eight teams from the 2024 field will return in 2025.

“Auburn Basketball is really excited about being a part of the field at the Players Era Festival the next three years,” Bruce Pearl said in a release. “It is an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete at a very high level and be included in this revolutionary concept of scheduling. It also ensures that we will be playing against the best teams in the non-conference in college basketball. Our fans will no doubt enjoy the opportunity to travel and be a part of this experience.”

Auburn joins other new participants Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, St. Joseph’s, St. John’s and Syracuse. They will join returners Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M in 2025.

According to the release, the 2025 tournament will feature “an entirely new format that will combine international style-group play with championship matchups.”

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at prauterkus@al.com