The Players Era 16 Men’s Tournament brings a stacked college basketball field to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving week, with the marquee sessions at T-Mobile Arena starting Tuesday, November 24, 2026. The first session tips off at 12:00 PM Pacific, and the arena’s official listing lays out a loaded opening day: TCU vs Miami at 12:00 PM and Michigan vs Creighton at 2:30 PM in Session 1, then Baylor vs Alabama at 7:00 PM and Gonzaga vs Kansas State at 9:30 PM in Session 2.
This is a different event from the Players Era sessions played at Michelob ULTRA Arena earlier in November — the Players Era 16 is the tournament’s expanded 16-team bracket, split between T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena from November 24 to 28. Between the two buildings, Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas now rivals any neutral-site week in college basketball.
Date, time and tournament details
What: Players Era 16 Men’s Tournament — NCAA men’s basketball
When: Opens Tuesday, November 24, 2026, first session 12:00 PM Pacific
Where: T-Mobile Arena, 3780 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (selected sessions; others at Michelob ULTRA Arena)
According to T-Mobile Arena’s official event page, the tournament runs November 24–28 across T-Mobile Arena and Michelob ULTRA Arena. T-Mobile hosts the Tuesday, November 24 sessions (12:00 PM and 7:00 PM starts), a Thursday, November 26 session at 12:30 PM Pacific and a Friday, November 27 session at 10:00 AM Pacific. The championship game is set for Saturday, November 28 at 7:30 PM Pacific at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Check the official listing for the session-by-session matchups, which are set as the bracket firms up.
About the tournament
Players Era has quickly become the richest early-season event in college basketball, built around name-brand programs and guaranteed marquee matchups. The November 24 lineup alone pairs four ranked-caliber programs in the evening session: Baylor and Alabama both play fast, guard-driven basketball, while Gonzaga brings its perennial top-ten pedigree against a physical Kansas State team. The afternoon session is no warmup act either — Michigan vs Creighton is a genuine top-25 style matchup, and TCU vs Miami pits two athletic, tournament-tested rosters against each other.
The venue
T-Mobile Arena, 3780 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, is the Strip’s big-game arena, seating around 18,000 for basketball just behind New York-New York and Park MGM. For multi-session days it is an ideal setup: you can watch the afternoon doubleheader, walk out to The Park for dinner between sessions, and be back in your seat for the evening games without ever moving your car.
Tickets
Single-session tickets for the T-Mobile Arena sessions are on sale now through the arena’s official seller, linked from the official T-Mobile Arena event page. The arena does not publish one fixed price — sessions are priced by seating area and demand, shown at checkout. Note that each session is a separate ticket, and a Session 1 ticket does not include Session 2.
Getting to T-Mobile Arena
T-Mobile Arena is at 3780 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, on the west side of the Strip. The Las Vegas Monorail stops at MGM Grand, a short walk away. Paid parking is available in the New York-New York and Park MGM garages and at the Excalibur lots, and rideshare drop-off runs along Frank Sinatra Drive behind the arena. For the noon session, build in extra time — Thanksgiving-week traffic around the Strip starts early.
More Las Vegas events
Spending the whole week in town? Browse the latest concerts, sports and shows on the Vegas Events Today home page.
Make a night of it
Thanksgiving week is one of the best weeks of the year to be in Las Vegas: the weather is mild, the sportsbooks are packed and the Strip is dressed for the holidays. Between sessions, The Park next door is the easiest dinner move, and after the late game the Park MGM and New York-New York casino floors are steps away.