Gonzaga draws Big 12 opponent in Players Era Festival opener

The Bulldogs now know their opening-round draw and potential path through a loaded Las Vegas field

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs will participate in the third annual Players Era Festival this November, and their first-round opponent was revealed on Thursday.

This year's event has been split into two distinct brackets, an eight-teamer taking place Nov. 17-19, and a 16-teamer going on Nov. 24-28. Gonzaga is in the 16-team bracket and will face Big 12 opponent Kansas State in their first game on Nov. 24. The time of the game is still to be determined, and it will be played in Las Vegas at either T-Mobile Arena or Michelob Ultra Arena.

Gonzaga will then play either Baylor or Alabama in their second game on Nov. 26, and then one of Michigan, Creighton, TCU, or Miami in their third game on Nov. 27.

Should the Zags advance to the championship, they would play a fourth game on Nov. 28.

Last year, Gonzaga did advance to the championship of the smaller 18-team field, after defeating Alabama and Maryland in their first two games. They squared off against Michigan in that title game and were beaten badly, suffering a 40-point loss to the eventual national champions.

Maryland will play Tennessee, while San Diego State will take on Iowa State, St. John's will face Oregon, and Louisville will face Texas Tech in the other games in Gonzaga's bracket.

The Players Era brackets are set.

The Players Era 8 takes place at Michelob Ultra Arena from Nov. 17-19.

The Players Era 16 is hosted at T-Mobile Arena and Michelob Ultra Arena. Opening round Nov. 24, no games Nov. 25, continues on the 26th, 27th and title game on the 28th. pic.twitter.com/Ia3mnrcbLF

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 21, 2026

Gonzaga vs. Kansas State

Gonzaga is 1-2 all-time against Kansas State, first playing them in Nov. 2020 in Kansas City in what was an 81-64 loss. The Zags then hosted them at the Battle in Seattle in 2012, securing a 68-52 win in what was a big breakout game for All-American Kelly Olynyk.

The Wildcats won the rubber match in 2013, 72-62, at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita.

Kansas State fired head coach Jerome Tang toward the end of last season, ending a nearly four-year tenure that started with the Wildcats making the Elite Eight and ended with back-to-back losing seasons - despite significant NIL contributions.

K-State hired longtime Belmont head coach Casey Alexander - who won 20+ games in ten straight years - to take over the program, and he has built nearly an entirely new roster - with sophomore wing Andrej Kostic the lone returner.

Key newcomers include Colorado State transfer guard Brandon Rechsteiner, Oregon wing Dezdrick Lindsay, former Duke and Virginia Tech guard Jaden Schutt, and Xavier forward Pape N'Diaye, among others.

It's hard to know exactly how Alexander's first season will go in little Manhattan, but it likely will take some time for this roster to gel, which gives Gonzaga an early-season advantage.

Rest of the bracket

If Gonzaga advances, they will play the winner between Alabama and Baylor, either setting up a rematch of last year's first-round Players Era game - which the Zags won by ten - or another showdown against Scott Drew and Baylor, who, of course, defeated Gonzaga in the 2021 national championship game.

Michigan vs. Creighton and Miami vs. TCU are the other matchups in GU's pod, and Gonzaga will play one of those four teams depending on how they do in their first two games. Should Gonzaga go 2-0, they very likely could face Michigan once again - although the big three of Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr are off to the NBA for coach Dusty May's club.

Gonzaga could also draw a second matchup with Creighton, who they are slated to play in Omaha this season as the return game of a home-and-home series that began this past year. Gonzaga won that game in The Kennel by 27 points, an ominous start to what ended up being Greg McDermott's final year with the Bluejays.

Players Era

Players Era is entering its third year, a revolutionary multi-team event that pays each participating program $1M in NIL funds, and an additional $1M to the winning team. Last year, Gonzaga made $1M for participating and an additional $500K for making the championship game.

While Kansas State isn't the most exciting draw, potential rematches with Alabama and Michigan are very enticing, as well as the opportunity to see Baylor or an up-and-coming Miami team out of the ACC.

Gonzaga adds these three (or four) games to a non-conference slate that already includes Purdue (Nov. 2 at T-Mobile in Las Vegas), Michigan State (Dec. 19 at Acrisure in Palm Springs) and Duke (Feb. 20 at Little Caesar's in Detroit).