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Players Era Path: Alabama basketball opens Las Vegas tournament vs. Big 12 team

1918632_10206777287683070_1367905321192383146_nby: Charlie Potter05/21/26Charlie_Potter

Alabama now knows its path to a Players Era championship.

Part of the Players Era 16, the Crimson Tide will first face Baylor in its first game in Las Vegas on Tuesday, November 24. Alabama and Baylor are in Bracket 2, and the winner of the first-round matchup will face the winner of Gonzaga-Kansas State on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26). There are no games scheduled for Wednesday, November 25, in Las Vegas.

The winner of the semifinal matchup will then advance to the Bracket 2 championship game on Friday, November 27. The possible opponents there are Michigan, Creighton, TCU and Miami. The Brackets 1 and 2 winners will face off in the Players Era 16 championship game on Saturday, November 28. The eight teams on the other side of the 2026 bracket are Tennessee, Maryland, San Diego State, Iowa State, St. John’s, Oregon, Louisville and Texas Tech.

So, Alabama (and everyone else) is guaranteed three games in this year’s Players Era Sixteen. The only two teams who will play in four are the couple of teams that win Brackets 1 and 2.

The Crimson Tide is 4-2 all-time in the Players Era, going 2-1 in each of the past two years. Last season, it played four of the 15 other teams that will be in Las Vegas this November – Gonzaga, which it met in last year’s Players Era field, Michigan, St. John’s and Tennessee (twice).

Alabama last faced Baylor as part of the now-defunct SEC/Big 12 Challenge during the 2021-22 season. The Crimson Tide won that non-conference matchup, 87-78, at Coleman Coliseum.

Alabama’s Players Era Sixteen path

Nov. 24 – Baylor
Nov. 26 – Gonzaga or Kansas State
Nov. 27 – Michigan, Creighton, TCU or Miami
Nov. 28 – TBD

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