Players Era tournament changes turn Oregon’s Thanksgiving trip into a major proving ground

Over the past two seasons, the Oregon Ducks have used Thanksgiving Week to participate in the Players Era Festival tournament. The first tournament was a major success for Dana Altman's team as the Ducks beat Alabama to take home the championship, earning NIL money for the team in the process. This past season, the tournament expanded with even bigger stakes, and Oregon went 0-2 with the worst point differential in the event.

The format last year drew a ton of heat as fans hated the points differential tie breaker, rather than using a typical bracket format. It turns out, the event is now changing for the better with an interesting new set up.

The Players Era splits in half giving Oregon a tough new test

On Thursday, the changes to The Players Era were announced as the event will now split into two different weekly events, expand to 24 teams, and the event will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Oregon Ducks land in the 16-team portion of the tournaments, meaning that Dana Altman's team will have a chance to play more games, but with a tougher task. The Ducks land with some of the most talented teams as Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee, St John's, and Louisville are all in the same grouping.

The event should serve as a great proving ground for Dana Altman's new look Oregon Basketball team. The 16 team field is loaded with National Championship contenders, and if the Ducks can pick up some wins it would go a long way in trying to return to the NCAA Tournament.

The Big Ten is going to be loaded with talent again, and showing you can compete with the talent at these events won't be much different than these events. Given how much turnover the roster underwent, great tests like this early should certainly help prevent another 5-15 season in league play.

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