Iowa State basketball could get some Sweet 16 revenge in Sin City.
The Cyclone men will play San Diego State in their opening-round game of November’s elite Players Era 16 tournament, but the real headline is they could match up in Round 2 against the team that ended their 2025-26 campaign – Tennessee.
The brackets were revealed for the 16-team Las Vegas tournament on May 21.
Iowa State will play the Aztecs on Nov. 24 at Michelob Ultra Arena, and then will play either the Volunteers or Maryland on Nov. 26. The Cyclones will also play on Nov. 27, and the tournament’s championship game will be played Nov. 28.
Coach T.J. Otzelberger’s team went 3-0 in the Players Era Festival last year, but missed out on the potential name, image and likeness cash infusion for the event’s winners due to complicated tiebreakers in the non-bracketed event. That prompted the change to a more straight-forward bracket for 2026.
St. John’s, Louisville, Gonzaga, Alabama and reigning national champion Michigan are some of the more high-profile participants in the event.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball could have Tennessee rematch in Players Era
Reporting by Travis Hines, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
